Magic's Flow and Starlight's Glow
by Sillyfaic
Summary: Luna's Winter Starlight Festival is coming up, but something's weird with the unicorns of Ponyville! Princess Celestia knows somepony's up to no good, but she has her hooves tied. Can the mane six resolve the incident before something horrible happens?
1. Prologue

The dark, cloudless sky glistened with stars that night. The dancing specks of light seemed to smile, and a brilliant, hanging crescent moon completed the picture. Chilly winds blew through the trees and crept up to the mountaintops. The sleeping ponies of Equestria would be thankful for their warm beds on this cold, peaceful night were they awake.

Princess Luna stood on her bedroom balcony, surveying the sky. The whistling winds blew at the pink frilly robe she was wearing, with her matching night cap fluttering restlessly in front of her eyes. She shivered, but continued to scan the shadowy heavens with a squinted, watery gaze. She would pan her head slowly to the left, then back to the right, and repeat. Time after time. Hour after hour. The stars had to be perfect. Everything about this night she was fashioning had to be perfect.

Her sleepy, but still very keen eyes darted to a dull looking patch in the sky. A blank spot on her infinite canvas. Completely empty, and devoid of happy starlight. Countless stars waltzed around it, but Luna merely grinned. She raised a hoof to her mouth and gave a sharp puff. A glittering stream of sparkling magic and dust expanded from her reach, ascending up high. Higher than the tallest mountain. Higher than the tallest spire in Canterlot. Eventually, the spell reached the sky and hung in the night air, flashing and gleaming. A carpet of new stars had been born. Luna chuckled happily as she directed her sight towards the newly formed star cloud.

"Now then, what are your names going to be...something pretty, but bold too?" The moon princess tapped a patient hoof to her chin, producing a steady cadence of clunks. They reverberated, all the way back to the extravagant bedroom behind her. Sprawled underneath a canopy of pink, blue and gold silk, in a tremendous king-sized feather bed lay princess Celestia. She had been snoozing for several hours now. She had promised her little sister that she would stay up and watch her work on the night, but her patience and wakefulness both had run thin long ago.

The hardworking Luna gritted her teeth as a horrific noise churned, breaking her concentration. Luna was having a much more difficult time working now that Celestia had begun to snore boorishly. The tapping of Luna's hooves slowed in pace. With each resounding clop of hoof against chin, Celestia's body twitched dramatically.

Luna heard the occasional very loud shuffle of a very large pony against a very cushy bed. Turning her head slowly, she noticed Celestia was staring, bug-eyed, right in her direction. Luna jumped a little bit, squeaking at the weird face her sister was making. Celestia was upside down, her head hanging off the end of the bed. Her multicolored mane spilled across the floor, placid and flat. She blinked, her mouth hanging agape. There was silence.

"...Oh hello there, sister. You're still up?" Celestia said, shattering the stillness. She caught a glimpse of her sister's face, and noticed she was wearing silver, crescent moon shaped spectacles.

"As are you! You scared me, big sister," Luna sighed. Annoyed at her sister's intentional commotion, she turned back to her starlit kingdom. "How long have you been awake?"

"I should be asking you that question!" Celestia guffawed. She flipped over onto her belly before leaping off the bed, bounding across the room to the balcony. She skidded on her gold trimmed hooves as she neared the ledge. The dark blue pony choked in surprise and flailed her front hooves everywhere, using magic to levitate several books and a huge telescope out of her sister's path. She squinted her eyes, peering at Celestia's smug face. The towering white pony was looking down at her, her big smirk now a frown. "Must you really wear those?" She gestured to the spectacles. "What good are they when half the lenses are missing? And you've never needed glasses before in your life. And your eyes are bloodshot. And you're not even reading. And-"

"They make me feel smarter, I think!" Luna cut her sister's verbal assault off, rubbing her eyes. They were indeed sore from lack of sleep. Celestia snickered mischievously. "And I need to be certain that every star and constellation, _every single one_, is absolutely perfect. Things could use some work, you see. No, I'm nowhere near finished..." Luna gave a discouraged huff, and turned her head to the stars yet again to scan. She began pointing at random clusters. Wearily, she dragged her hoof from one to another, listing off imperfections. "Lyra's looking slightly dim-"

"Better be careful Bon Bon doesn't catch you saying that..." Celestia quipped. Luna clacked her hooves on the ground with a sharp puff, and continued her droning.

"Shut up. You know what I mean! Although I must say, Vega's quite nice right now. But Spica's...err...well, what's _not _wrong with Spica? And for that matter, Virgo looks, erm..._blocky. _I don't know how else to say it, but something is off. I suppose that Orion and Sagittarius are passable for now...but, their east sides are a bit dull. Oh, whenever I look up, things only get worse! The Winter Starlight Festival only comes once a year you know and-"

"It's your time to _shine,_ yes?" Celestia giggled warmly, putting on a proud grin. She shook her head and rubbed a hoof through her sister's mane. It was scratchy and tough, and the stars strewn across it flickered weakly. Luna hadn't been paying much attention to it for the past few days and nights. "Everypony will have their eyes on you. And, well goodness, you're a diligent one making all these preparations! But why not get some sleep? If you're dead on your flank tired, it'll reflect in the night sky..." Luna continued to anxiously spot the flaws in her creation, ignoring her sister. She deflated at the light of weak, unruly stars, but her heart nearly jumped into her throat when she noticed a very obvious, unsettling abnormality. She wondered just how she hadn't spotted it yet..She did a double take at the sky, but the oddity remained. She shakily raised a hoof to the lines of stars above. Celestia noticed Luna's sudden shift in attitude, blinking blankly.

"Sister...do you notice something..._strange_ with the Big Dipper?" Luna said, her voice deathly quiet like the now windless night.

"Oh? Strange like what?"

"Like the fact that it's _upside-down?_"

"Well, not when you look at it like this." Luna turned to face Celestia, who was uncomfortably contorting her neck so that her head was upside-down. Luna jabbed her sister in the side, causing her to teeter and nearly fall over. "Goodness! You brute. But all jokes aside, yes, this is most troubling..."

"Of course it's troubling! How in Equestria did it just flip itself? I certainly didn't rearrange it..." Luna had begun flicking open books and nearly ripping several pages out in the process. Celestia merely closed her eyes and calmly shut them with magic. In response, Luna brought clumsily moving hooves to her golden telescope, which Celestia removed from her line of sight. The flustered princess glared at her much taller sister, who casually collapsed the telescope and packed it back into its box, while levitating the pile of books back to their bookshelf.

"Troubling, only because you're clearly not resting enough. Have you thought that, because you haven't been getting your sleep, you might be subconsciously moving things around?" Luna blubbered utter gibberish, but her sister brought a gentle hoof to her mouth before relieving her of her useless glasses with another levitation spell. "Hush, and go to bed. Sleep in late tomorrow, okay? Goodness, sleep the day away if you wish! But please get some sleep. Please Luna? We'll talk about this later." Luna grumbled before reluctantly spreading her wings and silently floating off to the bedroom, brooding. Celestia, however, did not follow. She merely turned and stared at the ominous reversed constellation. For an instant, the stars in the Big Dipper vanished, before erupting into a blinding white with a meaty, slicing sound. Celestia's eyes widened and she suddenly found herself on the ground, stricken with an intense migraine. Her eyes burned as though they were about to melt, and her skull felt liable to split in half. A female voice dug into her cracked mind, threatening to make her scream out loud.

_**"My princess, I expect a beautiful sunrise soon."**_

__ She moaned very softly, so that her sister would not hear her pain. The stinging and burning ravaging her head passed, and, shuddering, she stood tall once more. She gave one last look over her shoulder at the night sky before she went to join Luna. Her once shimmering eyes were glued to the floor, overflowing with gloom.

"That was...could this mean what I think it means? Has it truly been so long since that day...?"


	2. Chapter 1

An obnoxious ray of sunlight shone onto Twilight Sparkle's eyelids. She yawned and fell out of her bed, landing on the wood floor with a hearty thump. Still drowsy and with a pillow plastered to her head, she creaked open her eyes to meet a bizarre, wavy, and slightly charred potted plant with a scroll next to it. She also noticed that Spike was slumped up against the pot, looking queasy.

"Ohh...that princess...urp! Why doesn't she just use the mail like everypony else...?"

"What's wrong...?" Twilight asked, shakily getting up. She fell down the first few times she tried, though. She didn't even realize how groggy and disinterested she sounded. The purple dragon got up with a lot more finesse than his friend, and scratched his head.

"Yeah, umm, nothin' I guess. Compared to you anyways," Spike said flatly. "I mean, it's not like I just spat up a tree or anything. That's what's this thing is. It's a tree." Twilight had barely managed to stand up fully before falling down again. She cracked open her eyes, but all she could see was a violent swirl of spots. The inside of her tree home whirled in a frenzy of browns and greens. She moaned and shut her eyes tight.

"U-umm...what's wrong...?" She repeated. Spike had taken initiative, though, moving to Twilight's flank. He breathed in deeply before belching a small tongue of green fire. Twilight had no time or energy to react, but found herself hopping frantically anyway. "AHHH! HOT! I'M UP BUT IT'S SO HOT!" The sudden scorching had catapulted the purple unicorn so high that she nearly got wedged in the leafy canopy of a roof. Spike stood with his arms crossed, tapping his foot. He fanned Twilight's blackened flank with the scroll before wafting it below her chin.

"Fire. It's so much better than coffee, isn't it?" Spike said, still trying to get Twilight to take the scroll. It took her a few seconds to notice, but in her defense, her dragon friend was rather short. She managed a smile, in spite of her singed backside.

"My ever faithful assistant, alarm clock, and mail dragon all rolled into one. Spike I would be _lost_ without you!" Twilight said, finally lifting the scroll out of the dragon's hands with magic. Spike finally tumbled over, rubbing his sore belly.

"Yeah, well, just don't go asking me to light anything else up today," the dragon grumbled. "That..._thing_ did a number on me this morning. Talk about your rude awakening. You think you've got it bad...?" Indeed, while the plant was rather small for a "tree" as Spike called it, it was slightly bigger than the dragon himself. Twilight flinched, imagining Spike regurgitating the silly looking thing. She unrolled the scroll and scanned it.

"'My Faithful Student Twilight Sparkle,'" she read aloud. "'This is a very special tree that I am entrusting to you for a while. Please treat it with love, care, and admiration, the same that you would show for your friends. Don't ask me why I sent it to you, for the reason will become apparent in time. Water it three times a day, make sure it gets ample sunlight, and tell it a bedtime story before you retire each night...?' I-is that right? What...?"

"Three times a day too much for you to handle? No worries. I got it covered if you want," Spike said. Clouds of sick smelling smog spilled from his nostrils. "Provided I don't breathe out Celestia's wardrobe next..." Twilight scratched at her mane, doing her best to make sense of the nonsensical message.

"Bedtime story...? What for? Oh and it goes on..." she continued after clearing her throat again. "'I will be visiting Ponyville for the annual Flanksgiving celebration in exactly three weeks time. I will be taking the tree back then. I have full confidence that it will be happy and healthy. Stay strong, and be on the lookout...?' What the...?" Twilight shook her head. Spike staggered to his feet, the smoke billowing from his mouth and nose forming a large black beard and twirly mustache.

"Twilight, I can't breathe...!" Spike choked. Twilight saw the dragon's eyes were wide, red, and panic-stricken. She let out a little gasp, canceling her levitation. The scroll fell to the ground as she used a spell to create a light breeze aimed at Spike. A sound like a hair dryer filled the air and the spell blew the smoke from Spike's face. He took a gulp of fresh air, panting in relief.

"Everything all right, Spike?"

"Yeah, thanks to you..." Spike said, his voice filled with gratitude.

"No problem. But that has got to be the _weirdest_ letter I've ever gotten from princess Celestia. It was almost as if," Twilight levitated the miniature, wavy tree, examining it. It was quite unlike any tree she had seen around Ponyville, or even the Everfree Forest. "It was as though she was...rushed? Or something? Maybe I'm thinking about this too hard." Spike began to climb downstairs from the loft.

"If you're thinking at all in the morning, you're thinking too hard," the dragon shouted upward. "I guess you'll want a book about plants, yeah? So you can find out what this thing's called? Where'd we keep those again?" Before Twilight could respond, she heard loud screechy noises downstairs resembling falling books, rustling papers, shattering glass, a tuba, an air horn, an accordion, and a dragon in pain.

"Hi Spike!" Pinkie Pie's muffled voice. "Growing out the old facial hair? Veeeery studly! Rough and tumble mountain dragon...erm...thing. Hey, why ya coughin'?" Realization snapped into Twilight's mind at the familiar sound of Spike choking and the smell of more smoke. She rushed downstairs, bringing the odd tree with her. The library was a mess, as it usually was, but in addition to the mammoth piles of books were several bulky instruments. Some of them looked completely alien, while others didn't seem physically possible. Pinkie Pie stood in the center of the mess, smiling at the sight of her friend. "Hiya, Twi! Spike went to bed! Guess he's still tired, huh? Well it _is _pretty early."

"Pinkie, he's _passed out._" Twilight said nervously, wandering over to the unconscious dragon. His eyes were screwed open in horror, his breathing hoarse. The smoky beard and mustache combo had returned with a vengeance. Twilight blew them away with magic once more, but Spike didn't just bounce back. Twilight looked down at his petrified expression. "Oh no...Spike can you hear me? Spike!"

"Oh! His beardstache went poof! Did _you_ do that, Twilight? You should open a barber shop!" Pinkie bounced, trying to get a good view of the knocked out dragon. Twilight just shook her head as she felt the hyperactive pony's chest rubbing up and down against the back of her craned neck. The floating tree's spiraling leaves swayed with Pinkie, mimicking her motions. She took notice of this and swayed too. "Oooo...what's this dancy plant, Twilight?"

"It's a tree, and your guess is as good as mine. Spike went to search for a book that might help me but," Twilight motioned towards his lifeless frame, sprawled on the book covered floor. "He's been having some kinda congestion or something. Spike!" Twilight let the tree down gently and nudged the motionless Spike with her front hoof. He jolted awake, blasting forward and latching onto Pinkie Pie's face. She gave a nasally giggle.

"Funny! Now I can't breathe either!" Pinkie Pie said cheerily. She gave a deep inhale and launched Spike into a wall with a mighty breath. An avalanche of books tumbled down, burying him. "Oops! Guess I was just kidding! Spike, you should really look where you're leaping before you're looking to leap!" Spike just gave a resigned groan. Meanwhile, Twilight looked around at the instruments, not even wanting to think about the mess Pinkie just made.

"Pinkie, what _are_ all these instruments doing here?" Twilight asked. She tried to get a closer look at the stranger ones, which appeared to be spring loaded harmonicas crossed with rusty pipes and piano keys. Covered with faux leopard skin. "I assume you brought them?"

"A'yup! Can't think of _what_ some of these are named, or how to play em'! So, I brought em' on over! I figured the smartest unicorn in Ponyville would be able to help me out!" Pinkie rambled. She picked up an abandoned tuba and slung it onto her back before playing a tremendous low note. Twilight felt her teeth rattle. "So, remember that time when Ponyville almost got parasprite'd? Y'know, that's when I discovered that I _really_ like oom-pah music! And also the word oom-pah! Apparently, so does Celestia!" Pinkie brandished a scroll out of thin air, waving it around. "So she sent me this letter asking me to oom-pah it up at the Winter Starlight Festival! Heh, heh. Oom-pah. OOOOM-pah...that doesn't even sound like a real word if you say it enough!" Twilight read the scroll as Pinkie repeatedly said the word oom-pah. Ink blots littered the tattered paper.

"Pinkie, remember that time Ponyville almost got parasprite'd? I mention this because I like oom-pah music. So do you. Play at the Winter Starlight Festival. But go to Twilight's house first. Right now. I'll know if you don't, and that would displease me. Celestia." Twilight blinked a couple of times, surveying Pinkie's vacant, smiling face.

"So did you really _discover_ you liked this stuff, or is it because Princess Celestia _told _you you do?"

"Eh, I figure Celestia knows what everypony likes best, so hey! Why not go with it? Besides," Pinkie started, before blowing out a collection of loud, yet skillfully played notes. "It's not like I can just give back this stuff she sent me this morning anyways! That'd be rude!" Twilight laughed, giving an awkward grin.

"Celestia just randomly dumped this stuff at Sugarcube Corner this morning?" Twilight asked. "What'd the Cakes think of that?"

"OOM-PAH! It's Celestia. They were fine with it!" Pinkie said before playing a ridiculously intricate scale of notes. Twilight whistled, genuinely impressed.

"Well, you are musically inclined, I'll say that much. But uh, do you think Celestia sent you over here because she _knew_ you wouldn't know the names of these...things_?_" Twilight had been tapping a hoof to her chin, focused on the silly looking unidentified instruments. "If so, that makes little sense. I mean, why not just include their names in the letter?" Pinkie shrugged, giving a flighty little huff.

"Elementary, my dear Trotson," Pinkie Pie said in a British accent. Her tuba had vanished and she was now inexplicably sporting a monocle while holding a pipe between her teeth, which she blew to produce a cloud of bubbles. She was lounging in a cushy armchair, again, produced from nowhere. "Not even the princess herself knows the names of these mysterious artifacts. Perhaps relics from a time long past? Orrrr...super-mega-death-ray in disguise, BLAH!" Pinkie hurled the pipe at Twilight. She yelped as it hit her square in the face.

"Pinkie! What was that for?" Twilight shouted at the pony, who grinned nervously.

"Erm...checking to see you're not a double agent?" Suddenly, the sound of quick hoof beats rang out from up above, and Rainbow Dash came bounding down the stairs. She jumped the last one, hanging in the air. She had a scroll in her mouth, but spat it out so she could greet her friends.

"Yo Twilight and...Pinkie Pie? What're you doing here so early in the morning?" Dash asked, pulling at her mane. It was always wind-swept, but it seemed even more untidy today, as though she had just rolled out of bed. Pinkie Pie scoffed.

"Well it _is _her house, Dashie! Silly filly!" Dash brought a hoof to her forehead.

"Pinkie, I meant _you, _duh! What're _you_ doing here so early?"

"Oh you know! Early bird gets the worm!" Pinkie said, resuming her chipper mood, trying to cover up the pipe flinging incident. "Even though I don't really like worms! But...I guess I would if I were a bird? Still, that's gross...I wonder what kinda bird I'd be? I'm thinkin' flamingo 'cause, ya know, pink?" Pinkie turned her back to her friends, mumbling to herself and actually contemplating this.

"And as usual, Pinkie Pie makes no sense," Dash said. She landed, her hooves muffled by the thick film of papers below. She turned to Twilight, but her eyes had unmistakably darted towards the pile of weird instruments first, and then to Twilight's tree. "So uhh...you're having a perfectly normal morning, right Twi?"

"Aren't you?" Twilight posed to the pegasus, who gave a little choking noise.

"Umm, no. Not really," Dash said, crossing her front legs. She had a strange, lost look about her as she nudged her scroll forward. "Ya see, I got this letter from Princess Celestia that told me to-"

"Come to my house right away?" Twilight guessed. Rainbow's eyes widened.

"How'd you know that?"

"Why do you think Pinkie's here?"

"Cause she's...Pinkie? I dunno."

"Oh! Oh! I wanna say something now!" Pinkie exclaimed, wiggling her front leg around. She took an outrageously deep breath and held it. There was silence before she whispered, "Oooooooom-paaaaah..."

"...So, what's with the plant Twilight?" Dash asked, trotting over to the tree and impulsively dragging her snout through the leaves. "Never thought you had a green hoof."

"It's a tree, and why did Princess Celestia ask you to come over?" Twilight asked back, moving to the Dash's scroll. She nuzzled it open, reading the comically short message. It said, exactly, "Rainbow Dash. Go to Twilight's house now. Do this before you do anything else today. Princess Celestia." Twilight squinted. "That's it?"

"I know! Weird, huh?" Dash said with a shrug. "I was actually kinda excited to get a letter from the Princess herself. But then, that's all it said. Say...you get letters from her all the time! Are they always this...? Uhhh...?" Dash was about to finish before a raucous knocking came from the front door.

"I swear, if it's one of the others-" Twilight began, before a shout cut her off.

"Twilight? Ya in there?" Applejack's accent stuck out like a sore hoof.

"Really now, Applejack," scolded the posh voice of Rarity. "You mustn't be so brash! At this time in the morning she's probably still asleep. But you wouldn't really understand the importance of beauty rest, now would you?"

"Why...! Ah'm not the type to waste away a perfectly good day snoozin'!" Applejack snapped. "Maybe if ya pulled yer head outta dreamland every once in a while you'd realize...!" Twilight rolled her eyes at Applejack's sudden outburst. Even though her voice was stifled by the wall separating them, Twilight could hear her friend loud and clear.

"Just what are you accusing me of with that?" Rarity countered. "That I'm air-headed or some other such nonsense?"

"Reckon you could use a heft dose of tact's all ah'm sayin'!"

"Oh my! Please stop arguing..." Twilight couldn't even understand what Fluttershy was saying as she played the mediator, as usual.

"Applejack, I'm here," Twilight said in a tired monotone. Rarity gasped.

"You see? Listen to that! She sounds dead, or forcibly woken up perhaps...?" Rarity said. "I wonder who's fault that is?"

"What has gotten into you?" Applejack growled. "Yer bein' right confrontational this fine mornin'!"

"Applejack..." Twilight tried to say, increasing her volume, although she was instantly overpowered by an incredulous Rarity.

"Only because you're being 'right stubborn' as you would call it, and incorrigible on top of that!" Rarity scowled. "Why can't you just accept that things are your fault sometimes?"

"Rarit-" Twilight said, with even more force. It did little good.

"Ah'll take responsibility where responsibility is due," Applejack said, drowning out Twilight. "When ah'm actually the problem!"

"Please stop..." Fluttershy urged. Neither earth pony nor unicorn paid her heed. The whirlwind of annoying noise made Twilight shudder. Pinkie was raising a ruckus, attempting to operate some of the strange instruments, while Rainbow Dash was playing with the tree's leaves, sweeping her mane through them and laughing a little. The sound of leaves brushing around, honks from the instruments, and the ever-increasing volume of Applejack and Rarity squabbling made Twilight's head pound. Her eyes slammed shut in anger before she screamed skyward and unwittingly swung the door open with magic.

"Come in and shut UP already!" Twilight roared. Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy stood in the open door frame. They were dumbstruck, as though they had just witnessed an alien abduction. Dash had also abruptly stopped swishing her snout through the tree, while Pinkie Pie looked Twilight's way. Applejack cautiously stepped inside, staring at the frazzled unicorn with quite a bit of concern.

"Erm, Twilight? Ya okay?" Applejack asked. The unicorn took a few seconds to heave breath after breath, not noticing Rarity and Fluttershy entering as well. They both wore the same look as Applejack. Twilight gave a heavy exhale and closed her weary eyes. They felt like they weighed several tons each. Applejack lowered her head. "Twilight? Somethin' the matter?" Twilight's legs wobbled feebly.

"Nothing! Err, no that was wrong..." she croaked. Her voice sounded rough and rocky, as though it had been rubbed with sandpaper. "Scrolls...you three got em'?" Rarity looked in Twilight's direction, eying her unkempt mane and saggy eyes with pity. She made a short "tsk-tsk" noise.

"Oh, I do apologize for the uproar earlier, Twilight. So sorry if..._somepony_ woke you up before you got the chance to look your best. I suppose being up this early has left me a bit hissy."

"Hissy is right," Applejack sneered, earning a scoff from Rarity.

"Though Applejack is certainly a contributing factor!"

"Oh, so we're doin' this again? Ah'm ready fer round tw-"

"Enough! Just...stop, okay?" Twilight groaned. Applejack and Rarity immediately quieted down, with the latter remembering something fishy.

"Sorry again, but how _did _you predict that we would have...?" Rarity began. Indeed, she glanced to the trio of scrolls that she held aloft.

"She probably just, you know, _saw _them, when we came in..." Fluttershy piped up. "Unless...Twilight, do you need glasses?"

"And now all of a sudden, Twilight's eyesight is going? My, my! Today has been rife with strange things, hasn't it?" Rarity said, charismatically puffing out her chest. There was only silence and some awkward murmuring. Pinkie jumped out of nowhere and wrapped her front legs around Twilight's neck.

"Ya know, don't you think it's _weird_ that a brainy pony like Twilight doesn't wear glasses already?" Pinkie said. "I think you could pull those off, ya know, without looking nerdy!" The tired Twilight just blinked her bloodshot eyes in dull response. Pinkie tried to imitate her, sagging her jaw and letting her tongue flop out, panting weirdly. However, she failed to get a response from the exhausted unicorn. She released her grip, throwing her front legs into the air as though cursing fate. Twilight creaked her head towards her friends. She noticed Rainbow Dash hovering in front of Rarity, trying to nab the scrolls.

"Well, what do they say?" Dash asked. "Did they tell you to come to Twilight's house too? If they did...what's the princess thinking?"

"Don't know, but yer right," Applejack said. "Told us to come to Twilight's place, in err...one way or another..."

"The princess said if I didn't go right now," Fluttershy murmured, pawing at the floor. "Bad things would happen. I came so...now they won't, right?"

"Bad...? No, strange things..." Twilight grumbled and waddled towards Rarity, who dropped the scrolls in surprise. Rainbow Dash did a face-plant as she dove for one. "What did you mean when you said that? About, y'know, strange things?" Rarity raised an eyebrow.

"Exactly what I said. What? Are you trying to convince yourself that today has been ordinary?" Rarity said. Twilight shook her head vigorously, clearly not satisfied with this answer. Rarity swelled and continued with a bit more gusto. "There's the fact that you're out of your gourd as of late...oh! And the fact that all of us have been assembled here so early, and by princess Celestia, no less! And...my, my, what else? ...There was something else, I assure you."

"Lyra?" Applejack said, fiddling with her hat and drawing it over her eyes.

"What about Lyra?" Twilight asked. Applejack's raised her hat's brim to reveal her face. Her teeth were clenched nervously and the sheen had gone from her eyes.

"Reckon ya might wanna check fer yerself. It's been quite the commotion, though. Don't know how ya haven't noticed...providin', of course, she's left by now," Applejack said, pointing at the door frame. Rarity stepped forward suddenly, in the direction of the strange tree.

"Goodness, what is that?" Rarity asked to Rainbow Dash, who had abandoned the scrolls to go back to it. Dash shrugged halfheartedly.

"Dunno, but it feels awesome! Run your mane through this!" Dash said as Rarity approached, followed by an equally curious Applejack and Fluttershy. Twilight payed no attention to the happenings, instead strolling past Fluttershy and Rarity to the outside. The air was thick with icy cold, but the day was perfectly sunny, with tiny puffs of clouds floating lazily in the bright blue sky. Ponyville was still being decorated for the Winter Starlight Festival. Earth ponies were hard at work decking out their homes with glimmering ornaments carved like stars, and glittering streams of starry wire hung from porches. When the sun shined on Ponyville, the entire place sparkled like the brightest gem.

Twilight only took notice of the townsponies faces. They looked as though they were trying to ignore something very bizarre, determined not to get involved. And indeed, Twilight couldn't mistake the unusual sight happening some tens of feet in front of her house. Even with her degenerated senses, it was impossible to miss. A light cream colored earth pony with a dark blue, pink-streaked mane was being dragged through the town in protest by a minty green unicorn. She struggled against the unicorn pulling at her, shouting in what appeared to be both worry and confusion.

"Lyra, you're making a scene, don't you think? Sugarcube Corner isn't even open now!" Bon Bon stammered. The green pony turned her neck in a near perfect circle, although it was a doll-like, jerky motion. Her white and green mane whipped into her eyes. Twilight raised an eyebrow noticing the pupils were tiny and mismatched.

"Nope! Just a-goin' on a date! Cuz' Bon Bon likes Sugarcube Corner, right? An' Bon Bon likes Lyra, a-right? So, Bon Bon's a-goin' to Sugarcube Corner with Lyra! No scenes here, right? A-right?" Lyra said, her words as artificial as her movements. She had an incredibly stupid grin that covered an unnaturally large portion of her face.

"Lyra! You're not making any sense!" Bon Bon cried, as though this were the one-hundredth time she had repeated this statement. She whirled every which way, looking at the clueless bystanders. She mouthed to them, "I don't know what's gotten into her!" Lyra paused for a moment, her expression remaining strong as though her face were made of stone.

"Bon Bon _likes _Sugarcube Corner! So that makes sense, right?" Lyra said, with that same robotic tone. Her eyes twitched as a large flake of green fur and skin peeled from her cheek, revealing a murky brown coloration underneath. As the green strip fluttered to the ground, Bon Bon's eyes widened and trembled in shock. She wrenched the unicorn's grip away and bolted in the opposite direction, screaming. The ponies tending to their decorations made equally disturbed sounds, ranging from groaning to outright howling in fright. Twilight gasped at this bizarre display too, covering her snout with a hoof.

"What's _wrong_ with you?" An earth pony shouted in disgust. Lyra's grin hadn't budged an inch, but she jerked her head in the direction of the voice. Her neck made a sickening snap as she did so.

"Nothin'! Dunno why nothin' would be wrong! I'm Lyra!" Lyra said with a stupidly happy voice. She trotted off in the direction of Sugarcube Corner, her head and neck remaining in the exact same position. As she wasn't looking in front of her, she ended up knocking several ponies over as she skipped. "Gonna go do unicorn stuff now! Cuz' I'm a unicorn. Named Lyra!" Twilight stood, frozen on her doorstep. She blinked many times before slowly turning around. She hadn't even noticed that Pinkie Pie had been right behind her the entire time, and jumped when she saw the earth pony looking right at her.

"Wow, that was weird. And I know weird!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"My thoughts exactly," Twilight said, regaining composure quickly. She was already hearing the light chatter of the earth ponies outside. Obviously, Lyra was the unfortunate talk of the town. Peering into the library, Twilight saw her friends arranged in a half-circle at the center, save for Dash, who was still at the tree. Rarity stood out, as she was wearing an extremely annoyed look. Several swirly leaves jutted out from her curly mane."What...what did I just see?"

"Wish ah' could tell ya that myself," Applejack said. "But I dunno. On our way here, we couldn't help but notice that little, err..."

"Episode?" Rarity offered up.

"Eh...yeah, sure." Applejack said with resignation. Rainbow Dash's ears perked up.

"What'd I miss? What happened? Was there an episode of something?" she said, eager to get in on the subject.

"Oh, well, Bon Bon and Lyra were having a little, disagreement or-" Fluttershy began before Pinkie jumped high into the air, nearly landing on top of her. Fluttershy yelped and moved at the last instant, making Pinkie Pie crash with a splat.

"Lyra's face peeled off!" Pinkie shouted. Everypony recoiled, again, save for Rainbow Dash, who merely squinted.

"Did that _really_ happen?" Dash said, swishing her jagged mane. Twilight nodded her head in grim agreement.

"It really happened, unfortunately," she said, with utmost revulsion. Rainbow Dash's gave a blank look before taking to the air, spinning around in mid-hover.

"Okay! Glad I didn't see that then!" Dash said very quickly, as she hurried back to the tree and began to brush its leaves with her hooves. They twirled every which way as Dash forced a smile, trying not to think about a pony losing part of her face. "W-wow this thing is cool! I want one...heh, heh..."

"Th-this isn't just unusual anymore," Fluttershy whimpered. "This is horrible!" Twilight's eyes began to hurt and her head began to spin. She swore her horn was pulsating erratically. Everypony looked at the shaking Twilight. "Twilight, are you okay?"

"Fine! I'm fine," Twilight responded a bit harshly. She gave out an exasperated sigh as she stared at the book covered floor. "But what's with all this? I mean, this can't be ordinary. Princess Celestia asking you all here, then Lyra starts acting like something out of a-" Before she could finish, Spike hiccuped and burped in the distance. He had been deathly silent for quite a while now, but he was now stirring. The dragon belched a large bundle of green flame, producing another, much thicker scroll which magically floated towards Twilight. It unfurled without any assistance, prompting Twilight to peruse it. Everypony watched quietly, but restlessly, eager for Twilight to finish.

"...What's it say?" Dash said anxiously. Twilight surveyed the room. Everypony looked anxious, but Twilight smiled happily, coaxing everypony into relieved sighs.

"An explanation, at last!" Twilight said. All too ready to shatter the anticipation, she read the scroll. "'My Faithful Student Twilight Sparkle,'" Those words had never sounded or looked so reassuring. "'If my calculations are correct, and they always are, mind, your friends should be assembled at the library by now. In case you and your friends haven't noticed, there have been strange happenings with the unicorns in Ponyville. If you have observed some of this out-of-place behavior, you'll only know what I'm referring to all the more-'"

"Ya got that right!" Dash interrupted, before being shushed by both Rarity and Fluttershy. Twilight gave a reserved nod and continued.

"'I'm sorry I couldn't summon you to Canterlot to explain this situation in more detail. Preparations for the upcoming festival have both me and my sister bogged down. Apologies where they're due, but to get to the point, there's an incident going on.'" Twilight paused briefly. "Obviously. 'I am sorry I cannot give more details, but regrettably it is only because I am in the dark myself. I need you and your friends to travel to the Everfree Forest before tomorrow comes. Please get some rest and explore the forest tonight. Once more, you have my apologies for not giving you proper directions, but trust yourself and your magic. That will lead the way to the one behind this madness. I have faith in you. Your friends have faith in you. Have faith in them, and you will be able to overcome any obstacle, no matter how intimidating it may be. Remember that, and return safely. Princess Celestia.'" Twilight finished the long scroll, letting it slip from her magic and onto the floor.

"That's...everything," Twilight said, her original smile fading somewhat. She had been expecting her friends to be reassured, but they looked at a loss for words. If anything, they looked even more confused, shuffling around and coughing.

"Wow..." Fluttershy said. "I mean...I wonder what could be causing all this?"

"If the princess herself doesn't even know, it most certainly can't be anything good!" Rarity said. Dash tapped at the ground with her back hooves.

"And if it's in the Everfree Forest, that only makes it twice as bad! But, does anypony else think it's pretty lame that princess Celestia couldn't just bring us to Canterlot?" Dash said, irritated. "I mean, if Ponyville's _really_ in trouble, what's a little festival compared to-"

"The Winter Starlight Festival is just as big a deal as the Summer Sun Celebration, Rainbow," Applejack said, raising a hoof. "The whole town's goin' crazy...eh, supposin' fer all the right reasons. Imagine how crazy Canterlot is now! It's a wonder she even got to writin' to everypony." Dash gave an unsatisfied huff, but Applejack just chuckled. There was a sudden clattering walls as Pinkie Pie began to struggle towards the door, all of her instruments weighing down on her back. Everypony stared at Pinkie Pie, her face scrunched up in effort as she tried to bear the monstrous haul of brass and pipes. Every step she took produced a hideous symphony of honks and toots.

"Pinkie! What are you doing?" Twilight said, alarmed. Pinkie Pie groaned in determination, taking another step towards the door.

"Just...ergh...remembered...Sugarcube...opens...soon!" She said through tightly clenched teeth. "Gotta...get...back...but...need...help...ARRGH!" She inevitably collapsed under the pile of instruments. With a collective gasp, everypony struggled to dig her out. After the mess was cleared, Pinkie shuddered and wiggled, grateful to be unpinned. She giggled a bit. "Heh, heh! Thanks girls, but uhh...can somepony help me get home?" Applejack began to lift the larger instruments onto her strong back, as a silent "yes." Soon, the two earth ponies were carrying equal stacks of weird instruments. Pinkie trotted happily for the door, but was promptly stopped by a loud yell from Applejack.

"Hold it now, Pinkie!" Applejack said. Pinkie stopped dead, whirling around and sticking out her lower lip. "Reckon we're headed for the Everfree Forest later tonight, eh Twi? What's the plan?" Fluttershy gulped and whimpered.

"Oh my...why do we always have to go in there at nighttime...?" She lamented softly. "Or at all, for that matter? Oh well...everypony should meet up at my house tonight, I-I suppose..."

"Good idea," Twilight agreed. Everypony nodded their heads. "We'll venture into the Everfree Forest tonight. Everypony get plenty of rest, okay?" This got her some odd looks. Her normally bright colored purple fur was dulled and frizzy, while big black bags were visible beneath her sleepy eyes. Dash snickered before making for the loft upstairs.

"I think _you'd_ better get plenty of rest! The rest of us'll manage!" She called to Twilight before waving goodbye to everypony else. "In the meantime, I've got places to be. The weather factory's mapping out the snowfall schedule and well, not to brag, but I'm a key player! Laters!" With that, she flew up and out. Twilight yawned, unaware of the fact that Dash was long gone.

"Okay, but hurry back," she said groggily. She cracked her front legs before making the much desired trek to her bed. Fluttershy jumped into the air, flying out the door with a mumbled, "Goodbye, everypony..." followed by Rarity, who left with similar words and a cheery, "Have a nice sleep, Twilight!"

"Err, Twilight?" Applejack asked, scratching at her mane. The unicorn looked back, her bangs falling into her line of sight and her ears hanging low. Applejack gestured to the tree. "Ah don't mean to be insultin' er anythin' but uh, do ya want some gardenin' tips? It's jus' yer plant's lookin' dinky."

"It's a tree, and-" Twilight began, before Applejack gave a curious laugh.

"Which is a type of...?" Even with her numbed senses, Twilight now realized how silly she had sounded earlier.

"Oh yeah, uh...thanks, I will," Twilight shouted over her shoulder, as she began the arduous feat of climbing the staircase to her room. Applejack looked utterly confused, exiting while muttering, "Will what...?" Pinkie waited for Applejack to pass her before broadcasting her own cheery farewell.

"See ya later, Twi! G'night! Or...or would that be good morning?" Pinkie began to wonder as she shut the door loudly. The sudden noise woke Spike up. He jolted his head back and forth to adjust his blurry vision, although it didn't take him long to notice Twilight going up the stairs. He followed her, hot on her hooves.

"Twilight, how long was I out? What day is it?" Spike asked. It took Twilight about a minute just to get to her room. However, at the sight of her bed, she sped up to a ridiculous extent, sprinting up the stairs to her loft and jumping into the cushy embrace. She buried her face into the sheets. Spike crossed his arms, waiting at the base of the loft. "You going back to sleep?"

"I have to, before I literally drop dead," Twilight said, her voice deep and gravelly. She fought to stay awake a bit longer though, so she could get the message to Spike. "Going to the Everfree...Forest tonight. Look after plant...be back by morning, 'kay...?" Spike barely made out her ramblings. However, he soon stopped trying to decipher Twilight's words and just rolled with it, shrugging vacantly and going downstairs to find something to eat. As Twilight fell into unconsciousness, she felt a very prominent stinging pain in her head. Even as the world faded into blackness around her, the pain persisted. An unfamiliar voice sounded. An echoing, young mare's voice, calling out to her. Hurting her.

_**"Soon, I will see a sunrise. At long last, I will see a beautiful sunrise."**_


	3. Chapter 2

When Twilight awoke from what was the most relaxing sleep in recent memory, her nearby window offered a picture of the dark orange sun dipping down into the horizon. The unicorn was in panic at first, but got a good laugh when she finally saw herself in the mirror. Thinking back, she now understood why her friends listed _her_ as one of the strange things happening that day. Her mane would've passed for a greasy mop of black straw, while her fur jutted out at odd angles. But a quick scrub and the swirl of hairbrush soon corrected these problems. As she dashed out the door, eager to meet up with her friends, her coat was elegantly groomed and her mane was shiny and neat again.

Before she left, she thought of giving Spike a more thorough explanation as to why she was leaving for the night. However, the dragon was snoozing, slumped up against what had to be the only organized bookshelf in the library. His belly was distended, and an empty, velvet purse was tossed to the floor at his feet. Twilight saw the fragments of gemstones scattered amongst the sea of discarded papers and clicked her tongue. If things had gone as planned, those would've been Spike's snack at the Winter Starlight Festival. Twilight merely shrugged, being mindful to close the door softly. If Spike would snack now, then he would just have to deal with no snacks later.

Twilight was mindful of a lot more things lately. The long sleep had done its job, shooing most of her fatigue away. The pain in her head and eyes hadn't subsided, curiously, but this little stinging was easily ignored.

As Twilight trotted through the brightly lit Ponyville, she saw many figures on the streets. They all proved to be unicorns, but not a single one was acting normally. Every last one that Twilight saw on her trek to Fluttershy's house possessed the same dopey grin and the same vacant eyes that had been present on Lyra earlier. As Twilight hurried, the odd ponies tried to converse with her. Twilight didn't look at them, dead-set on ignoring slurring voices which spouted things like:

"Hallo Twilight! You're a unicorn! What do unicorns do? I don't get it!"

"I am magic! Because I am a unicorn!"

"I am the Great and Powerful Trixie! I am not really all that Great and Powerful!"

And so on. Thankfully, the gibbering ponies did not pursue. As Twilight passed them by, they would resume banging their heads against walls or try poke things with their horns. It was a surreal display, Twilight thought. Everything was made even more jarring because the unicorns sounding exactly like their normal selves, save for the brainless fervor in everything they said.

Whenever Twilight passed a house, she noticed the windows never failed to be shut and locked tight. The other, sane ponies were undoubtedly cowering in their homes. Twilight shook her head and quickened her pace, her hoof beats making solid, rapid thumps upon the dirt road.

"Can't blame them," Twilight said to herself. Fluttershy's home was now in plain sight. "Being scared...when everypony's acting like this!" Her low talking was punctuated by sharp panting. She wouldn't normally be running this fast. The desire to find out what was happening strengthened her resolve. She was fixed upon Fluttershy's house with brightly burning eyes. "We've got to...get to the bottom of this!"

* * *

><p>Upon reaching Fluttershy's little cottage on the outskirts of town, night had fallen. The now navy blue sky was dotted with countless shimmering stars. Although the light from the sun was over and done with, the stars and the waxing moon up above provided ample light.<p>

The running unicorn skidded up to the circle of ponies gathered outside of Fluttershy's house. Everypony was there, and Twilight's panting and fast movements alerted them to her approach. They had collapsed the circle to let her in, but they still looked to her with concern as she caught her breath noisily. Rainbow Dash spoke up.

"Twilight, you okay? You're not still...?" Dash asked. Twilight huffed a few more times, but only so she could gather enough breath for a bout of laughter. Dash awkwardly joined in.

"No, no! I'm all better now!" Twilight said, smiling. Just as she said that, a particularly painful jolt bit into her skull. Everything turned light green for a moment as Twilight's pupils dilated freakishly small. She gave a great shiver for just that fraction of a moment, but nopony seemed to notice in the dark. "...Err, sleeping for a whole day'll do that for you, heh, heh!" The other ponies made visible sighs of relief.

"Yeah! You know it," Dash said, beaming. "Wish I had more time off so that I could sleep for a day or two. Ah, but all this planning for snow at the weather factory? It's makin' it tough..the bigwigs want it to be 'the most beautiful snow of the century' or something," Dash fluttered her eyelids for a moment before retching obscenely. "Pffff! What does that matter? All I'm gonna be doin' is cleanin' it..."

"Speakin' of beautiful, Ponyville sure does look a sight," Applejack said, in awe. The girls that had their backs to the town turned and saw what Applejack meant. Even in the strong light from the heavens overhead, the night was still shrouded in darkness. Ponyville looked like it was made of gold in the serene atmosphere, with rays of yellow and white light emanating from it. They reached up so tall that they seemed to rake the sky, posing a challenge to it. The ponies stared in total admiration for a moment. "Townsponies really outdid themselves this time!" Applejack sighed proudly.

"It would be considerably better, though," Rarity started, as everypony turned to face her. "If those..._eyesores_ weren't wandering the streets."

"Eye sore...? Oh no! I _scream, _Rares! For ice cream, natch," Pinkie said before clearing her throat and letting out a terrifying screech. Rarity gave an exasperated grumble at the disturbing racket. A little "sproing" sound accompanied every little hop Pinkie Pie was making. "But what's this about sore eyes? I don't think they've got those...hey, where's my ice cream?"

"They're hideous, is what I'm trying to say!" Rarity explained. Pinkie, who wasn't really listening, stopped hopping around and sat. She nodded vacantly. "All they do is babble and say that they're unicorns! And what's worse, I think some of the townsponies thought _I_ was one of them! Of all the-"

"I'm not surprised," Twilight said. Rarity let out a little hurt gasp at this, but Twilight quickly shook a hoof at her. "No, it's not what you think! They sounded terrified...and well, can you really blame them? I mean, we got an, umm, _explanation_ I guess, and from princess Celestia herself! But they're in the dark. They haven't got a clue about what's happening."

"Neither do we, when ya think about it," Applejack murmured. She sounded a bit defeated, perhaps feeling a little in the dark herself. "All's we know is somethins' rotten in Ponyville. Problem is, we don't know _what's_ rotten. But reckon that's what we're all here to find out, right?" Everypony nodded. A light breeze blew through the group, chilling them. Twilight shook out her legs and neck for warmth. Doing a double-take of the circle of familiar faces, she noticed that somepony was absent.

"Where's Fluttershy?" Twilight asked. The other ponies exchanged looks, checking around, but the pegasus in question was nowhere in sight. "I just figured she was, y'know, being Fluttershy and not speaking."

"Same here," Dash said, chortling. "Wouldn't that be just like Fluttershy? To join the group and not even announce she was here?"

"I'm sorry...am I not being a good host?" Fluttershy's voice said out of nowhere. Dash sprung into the air, her voice cracking. Her rapidly beating wings knocked gust after gust of cold wind down onto everypony. They mumbled uncomfortably, signaling her to stop. "Umm, here I am..." Fluttershy said quietly, a fair ways away from the group. Even with her light coloring, she had done a spectacular job of hiding herself. Dash landed gingerly, folding her wings.

"Where _were_ you anyway? We've been waiting for you for..." Dash began, but couldn't exactly place how long everypony had been waiting.

"...Minutes?" Twilight offered. Dash sighed.

"Yeah, minutes."

"I'm so sorry, everypony," Fluttershy said, backing up a bit, as though the ponies were giving her icy, accusatory stares. "I just had to make sure all of my animals were all tucked in. After all, it's going to be a long night, right?" Pinkie laughed.

"Yep, yep! I know that Gummy won't sit still if I don't come home at the right time sooooo," Pinkie started to say before the toothless alligator emerged from her curly mane. Fluttershy gasped while the other ponies just looked in awkward comprehension. "I brought him with me! Hope that's-"

"N-no! Please excuse me, but he could get hurt," Fluttershy panicked, flying over to Pinkie Pie and scooping the alligator out of her mane. Pinkie didn't protest and neither did Gummy, who blinked one giant, purple eye at a time. "Umm...sorry _again,_ everypony. I think I still have room for Gummy to spend the night. ...B-be right back!" Dash and Applejack called out to Fluttershy, but she had already left for the pond near her house. The two ponies groaned, shooting sour looks at Pinkie Pie. She was back to hopping around.

"Woo! It's probably better she did that! Look how much higher I can hop now!"

"Pinkie Pie! Thanks a lot!" Dash chastised, throwing her front legs to the sky.

"Night'll have come an' gone by the time we set out," Applejack said.

"Listen, you'd be surprised what Gummy can do when he's grouchy!" Pinkie lectured, maintaining her hops. She was indeed going higher than normal. "He may not have any teeth, but he still ate my bedsheets that one time!" Rarity gasped.

"Goodness! That little one, eating all the sheets off a bed? He must have quite the stomach!"

"Yep! Come to think of it, he ate the bed too!" Rarity eyes became half-lidded at this.

"Okay. Now I know you're exaggerating."

"Yeah, I guess it was more like half...whoo, sleeping that night was _rough!_" Pinkie reminisced with a flighty sigh, her voice overflowing with joy for some reason. She kept rambling about Gummy's appetite, capitalizing on how much of a blow he dealt to her food bill. However, Fluttershy was quick to return. She timidly got back to the ground, biting her lip.

"Okay now...so, we're going?" she asked, and was startled to be met with nothing short of cheering from Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah! We're off! Let's go, go, go!" She skimmed through the air, making for the Everfree Forest with the other ponies in hot pursuit. Fluttershy was ambling, though, as if she didn't want to keep up with the group. Twilight waited for her, but Fluttershy's pace only slowed down as Twilight herself slowed.

"Something up?" Twilight asked. More green flashes intruded in the corners of her eyes, but a brief shake of the head dispelled them.

"Are you all...a-are you sure I need to...?" Fluttershy was unable to spit out what she wanted to say, her voice devolving into random squeaking whenever she tried. She would look to the ground, then tilt her head to the forest entrance before repeating. Twilight put a hoof on her friend's shoulder.

"Is this like the time with that dragon?" Twilight asked, her voice tender. Fluttershy gave a reserved nod. "Fluttershy, you're vital to our success. Remember where we're going? What are we supposed to do if something really nasty shows up? You could be the only one who can-"

"Twi! Fluttershy! Let's getta move on!" Applejack called over her shoulder. Twilight could see the shadow of Rainbow Dash hovering, her head just brushing the tree branches at the mouth of the forest. The other earth dwelling ponies were directly below her, their heads turned back at the stragglers. Twilight faced Fluttershy, who shook her upper body and straightened her neck. Her eyes had gotten wider and more confident.

"I understand," she said, giving a brisk nod. With that, the two ponies rushed over to the entrance of the forest.

* * *

><p>"Come to think of it, where <em>are<em> we headed for?" Twilight thought aloud as the group traversed the darkened Everfree. The light of the stars and moon had been doused somewhat, but their flickering remained as beams pouring through the tree leaves. Fluttershy made a habit of dashing for an errant puddle of light whenever she could. Occasionally she moved so fast that Rainbow Dash whistled to herself, impressed, although the whistling quickly became snorting. Whenever Fluttershy stepped away from her haven, she would whimpered pathetically, forcing Dash to edge her gently along.

"The princess said 'follow' yer magic' or somethin' like that," Applejack remembered. "Or was it, 'follow yer horn?' Eh, I dunno. Point is, we're gettin' all kinds a' nowhere right now."

"Follow your nose where the wind blows and you'll find where you...goes?" Pinkie hummed weirdly. Sure enough she was hopping along, but she suddenly crashed to the grassy ground, pondering. "Thinkin' of a new song and...well, it's not working out. Yet. It will! Promise!" She reassured the ponies around her as though they were on the edge of their seats. The only one that fit that description was Fluttershy, but not for the reason Pinkie wanted. She scowled, burying her nose into the grass. "Well excuuuuuse me, ponies, for wanting to montage our way through this whole shebang." Twilight ignored Pinkie's whining and looked to Applejack, who was right beside her. The two inadvertently lead the unorganized line.

"It was 'trust your magic' and um...'have faith in your friends' too, I think she wrote. And-"

_**"It's the only thing they have, magic."**_ ." A thunderous voice pounded in Twilight's brain. She stopped dead. She swore her heart and lungs stopped along with her. Everything around her flashed green. Even in the almost pitch black, everything suddenly gained perfect detail. It was as though a grotesque emerald sun shined overhead. Twilight blinked, hoping that the bizarre vision would fade. It did.

"Twilight, what's wrong?" Rarity asked. Everypony had rallied around Twilight, much to her surprise.

"S-something..." Twilight stammered, remaining rooted. A great heat welled up inside of her, her voice fearful. Her eyes pulsated as she witnessed another unearthly green flash. Ribbons of dank green light cluttered the peaceful air, dripping off trees, the grass, and even her worried friends. Everything regained detail, and a sickly sheen, once again.

_**"You would deny...?" **_The voice came again, somewhat weaker than before. It wasn't a normal mare's voice. It quaked with power. With bitterness. With hatred. And with despair.

"Whaddya mean, 'somethin'?" Applejack asked. She angled her head, scanning Twilight and waiting for a reply. Twilight's unwavering look of dread became reflected in her friends' faces. Applejack grabbed Twilight's shoulders, shaking her. "S-snap out of it, Twi! Come on!" Twilight didn't realize her eyes were glowing white.

_**"Given the choice, they would..."**_ The voice insisted, much stronger and commanding. Unable to control herself, Twilight broke away from Applejack. She sprinted along the path before turning and running straight into a bush. She could see perfectly fine, but her mind wasn't her own. The muffled screams of "Twilight! Come back!" disappeared the instant they drilled into her ears. She turned swiftly, avoiding an oak and rushing into a spread of brambles. White light poured from her legs, fending off the plentiful thorns.

_**"You do not know them...you will **_**never**_** know them as I do." **_

Twilight galloped and leapt out of the brambles. Looking ahead, she saw she was now placed in a moonlit clearing. Her body trembled as she begged to scream with all her might. Twilight felt her legs disobey her again, running straight ahead. She thought of words, words of hope. She thought of commands, ordering her legs to stop. She prayed, pleaded that her friends were following. But she couldn't look back. She couldn't even hear herself. She had forgotten what she sounded like. All she could hear was the voice, which grew more intense as the disgustingly green trees flew by her.

_**"It is what they want. Their only wish...and you would deny them of it. Forever?"**_

The plant life became sparse, parting as Twilight ran. She tried to slam her eyes shut, not even wanting to know where she was going. The towering trees seemed to cower ahead of her, making way for some great beast.

_**"For those who would become great...for their sake, for the ambitious, I will stop you!"**_

Twilight jumped over an incoming wall of bushes and landed in the grass with such force that she ruptured the dirt. Endless blades ripped into every inch of her insides, and the spiraling world became more insane and shapeless. Nothing natural was visible. Only green, everywhere. The world had gone. The sound of her screaming had gone. As Twilight tumbled drunkenly, struggling to stay up, her heart beating so fast that it threatened to burst, she felt her mouth move. The voice whimpered, whispering. It was now distraught, subdued. Lost.

_**"I will not...allow..."**_

These final words made all feeling vanish. Gone, with the world around her, Twilight sunk to the ground, unmoving and unthinking.

* * *

><p>"Twi...Twilight...!" A mercifully familiar voice said. Twilight gave a loud groan as everything ached and creaked. The side of her that she had landed on was completely numb. Daring to open her eyes up, she saw the dark Everfree Forest stretched out around her. No green, or at least, no <em>ethereal <em>green. Her surroundings were strangely well-lit, although she hadn't any idea where she was.

"Oh! Thank goodness! You scared us half to death!" came Rarity's voice. Twilight tried to get up, but her wobbly legs couldn't support. Applejack did that for her, grabbing and hoisting Twilight up.

"Whoa there...don't want ya gettin' any more roughed up," Applejack said. Her voice was happy, but still plenty anxious.

"Wha...what happened?" Twilight moaned. Her speech was slurred to an almost unintelligible degree. Pinkie got right up in her face, her eyes watery.

"Wish I knew! You weren't yourself! Twilight...we almost lost you back there and I don't even know what we'd _do_ if we couldn't find you I mean-" Pinkie's words approached light speed before Rainbow Dash shushed her, pulling her away from Twilight's snout.

"Geez, Pinkie Pie. Let her breathe-" Dash began before Pinkie Pie bounced every which way, her front legs flailing. "You _can_ still breathe, right?"

"Doc, she's too tired to breathe! I shall do it for her! I must administer the breath of liiiiiiiiiife!" Pinkie trumpeted before diving on top of Twilight and squishing her snout up against the unicorn's. They lay there, completely silent before Pinkie whispered something. "Yo, guess what Twi?"

"What, Pinkie?"

"Oom-pah." Pinkie said softly but quickly before skipping up and away from Twilight, returning to her happy rhythm of hops. "Hooray! Twilight's alive!"

"Of course I'm alive!" Twilight said, her strength rekindling. She was finally able to stand, although Applejack was hesitant to let her go. Twilight struggled to keep her balance, causing Applejack to make a quick movement for her. Twilight shook her head and a hoof. "I'm fine! But thank you, everypony..."

"Okay, that's enough of this 'I'm fine,' stuff! If something's up, tell us!" Dash urged. She bit her lip as Twilight curiously observed the area. Trees stretched all around, but this clearing she had rampaged to was positively drenched in vibrant starlight. "Twilight, if you're gonna do stuff like that, we might as well go back and let the Princess know about what just-"

"No, Rainbow Dash. We can't, under any circumstances!" Twilight said. Dash stomped the ground, sending some mud flopping. Her spiky mane flipped around in a swirl of warm colors. "Princess Celestia is counting on us!"

"But there's something seriously wrong with you!" Dash spat, continuing to pound the grass. "I mean seriously, _seriously_ wrong! You weren't yourself! I've never seen you like that before!"

"You were moving so fast, even Rainbow Dash couldn't catch you..." Fluttershy explained. Fearful remembrance made her timid voice even softer. Twilight blinked, astounded. Come to think of it, her legs did feel a bit stretchy. "You were glowing white, like a ghost...oh please! Let's just go back before something else happens!"

"Tell us, Twilight, what exactly were you thinking at the time?" Rarity asked, keeping cool. "Do you have any recollection? Any kind of thought or feeling?"

"Everything was...green," Twilight said, her voice drifting off into thought. Rarity nodded very slowly.

"Maybe ya haven't noticed, but we're in the middle of a forest, Twi," Applejack said impatiently. Twilight gave a little laugh.

"No, no, _everything _was green. And there were...ribbon-y things floating around," Twilight remembered the sight very clearly now. She also remembered losing control of absolutely everything. Those vivid memories of being a horrified spectator as she ran rampant were definite unwelcome guests in her mind. "Th-they were coming from everything, those ribbons. From the trees and the bushes. And you. All of you!" Everypony traded thoroughly confused looks, save for Twilight, who looked on hopefully.

"...Anything else?" asked Rainbow Dash. Twilight hesitated.

"A...a voice. A terrible voice," Twilight's eyes grew wide as she recalled the booming, monstrous voice of an unnamed mare.

"Who's voice?" asked Rarity.

"Somepony...terrible, maybe?" Dash suggested, earning herself a sardonic little neigh from Rarity. "Hey, terrible voice could equal terrible pony!"

"It was mare's voice," Twilight added. This didn't really verify things, but everypony gazed at her regardless. "I don't know who, but she was-"

"Heeeeeey, everypony! Lookit!" Pinkie Pie called out. She had been present just a moment ago, but she had sneaked off unseen. The friends turned in the direction of Pinkie's call, and gave a collective gasp at the sight that met them. How they hadn't noticed it could only be chalked up to their concern for Twilight's well-being. At the end of the clearing stood an enormous cave mouth. It stretched up so ominously high, taller than 100 ponies standing on top of each other, and a distant echo of something massive churned from its shadowy bowels.

Pinkie Pie was hopping around at the base, but the others soon joined her. Twilight lagged behind, her horn throbbing painfully as she dropped. This elicited more startled responses from the already alarmed ponies. Everypony made for Twilight without a word, with Applejack helping her to her hooves again. Before anypony could say anything, Twilight blurted out an exclamation, quelling the chaos and worry.

"Some great force...i-in there..." Twilight breathed. She shook Applejack off her, who backed away silently. "I can't tell what it is...is it a pony or...?"

"Well, there's somepony coming ooooout!" Pinkie Pie chimed. Sure enough, a pony's frame scampered out of the awaiting cave mouth. Seconds hadn't sped by before the misty silhouette gained features. It was a unicorn mare with a dark yellow, ragged coat. A torn scrap of a black ribbon hung from her stringy, tangerine colored mane, and one of her bright red eyes was clamped shut. She looked badly beaten and exhausted. Her panting became louder and louder as she approached the awaiting semi-circle of ponies. The injured mare halted in the wet grass, hyperventilating.

"That who yer talkin' about, Twilight?" Applejack said. Twilight shook her head. "Figured. Hardly great or forceful, huh?"

"Re-reinforcements? Up here? Confound this day!" the pony shrieked, throwing back her head. Her voice was gruff, as though it had been choked with sand, but it had a youthful sort of energy. The mare's eyes twitched madly, practically popping out of their sockets.

"Erm, figure ya just missed daylight by an hour or two, sugar cube," Applejack said.

"And what's this talk about 'reinforcements?'" Dash said, shifting her body upright as she flapped her wings. The trounced unicorn mare squealed before slinging an accusatory hoof in Dash's direction. Dash just laughed a little. "You lost it?"

"Ha! Are we trying to play mind games now? You creatures should just stick to brute force, because your lying is _pathetic!_" the mare said between hefty, throaty gasps for breath. "Not that your fighting skills are much better! I-I was holding back before, no joke!" The crazed mare began to count the very bewildered ponies standing before her.

"What are you talking about?" Fluttershy said, drawing back a little to hide behind Applejack. "Do you even _know _what you're talking about?" The unknown pony didn't answer, instead snickering and puffing out her chest.

"Lessee...there's six here! Six I can handle," she said to herself, bracing her hooves against the soft grass. She shot forward like a bullet, screaming. Not even bothering to target a specific pony, she just blindly charged at the nearest. Rarity. She rolled her eyes in disdain, readying some magic. The attacking pony continued to move her legs, but it took her a while to notice she had been suspended in mid-air. She blinked twice, dumbfounded. "Hey! What's the big idea, using magic?"

"What's the big idea, charging us like that?" Twilight interrogated. The trapped mare had begun to struggle, but stopped at the sound of Twilight's voice.

"Wha...? Wha...? D-did that one just _speak?_" the incarcerated mare blubbered.

"Are you out of your mind?" Rarity jabbed. "Attempting such uncouth behavior on fellow ponies, without even letting us explain? Furthermore, as long as you're up there, why don't _you_ explain yourself? Who _are_ you anyway? And why don't you tell us what you're doing here..." The helpless mare laughed at this, irritating Rarity to the point of snarling. "What, pray tell, is so funny?"

"Finally!" the mare yelled, her own horn glowing yellow and red. "She decides to send out the magic talk-y ones! Now I can use this!" The magic engulfing the trapped unicorn's horn was angular and edged, and quickly expanded to the outer rim of Rarity's levitation spell. Rarity gave a little gasp as her own horn began to tingle. Yellow chains made of magic had appeared on her horn, and began snaking their way around it. An wave of blinding yellow magic spread out from the bound mare, who fell to the ground, released from Rarity's spell. Everypony rubbed their eyes, raising a commotion as they tried to get their sight back. In their frenzy, they caught the mare's now very confident voice. "The name's Moot! I'm the one who's gonna resolve the little incident here in this cave, and nopony's gonna stop me! That includes you all too!"

"We're not trying to stop you-" Dash began before being interrupted by Moot's laughter. She paused for a moment. "Okay, Rare. She's _totally _out of her mind," Dash groaned, rubbing her sore snout. The blinding magic wave had sent her on an untimely nose-dive. Twilight looked around, big spots of purple light obstructing her view. She managed to get her bearings, but she squeaked when she got a good look at Rarity. She was trying to hurl a levitation spell at Moot, but every attempt produced a pathetic sputtering sound, akin to somepony blowing a raspberry.

"Rare! Your horn's all-" Twilight started, before angling her eyes up to notice her own horn in a similar position.

"Sealed up? Yeah, that happens when you tangle with me!" Moot blasted, her boisterous fighting spirit apparently renewed. She turned to the side to reveal her cutie mark, a red circle with a slash mark drawn through it. She sneered as the yellow chains held both Rarity's and Twilight's horns tight. "Your magic's completely useless, so guess what? That makes you two easy targets!" Moot shot towards Rarity, resuming her battle cry. She nearly made it to her before Applejack stepped in her path and launched a kick right at the offender's face. Moot tumbled over and backwards before landing flat on her back. She rubbed at the new hoof mark stamped on her face.

"Sorry I had ta' to do that, but ya were gettin' pretty annoyin' there," Applejack said to the wriggling slump of a unicorn. She turned backwards to Rarity. "Y'all right there, Rare-"

"Uwaaa! Get it off, get it _off!_" Rarity wailed, picking at the yellow chains. Twilight tried something similar, rubbing her horn through the grass. The only thing she managed was coating it in lots of muck. Fluttershy trotted over to her distressed friend, pulling at the chains with her teeth. This turned out to be a bad idea. As soon as she bit down, a weak electrical surge crackled through her mouth and tongue.

"Wishful thinking, trying to get those...o-off!" Moot stammered, rising back up, but with notable weakness in both her movements and voice. She laughed stupidly, her once hearty cackling trailing into a squeaky whinnying. "Haaa...they're not going anywhere...til' you beat me...!"

"Consider yourself beaten then," Dash said, squinting her eyes and smirking nastily. She whipped through the air, becoming a cyan blur as she flew circles around the dazed Moot. The unicorn tried to kick at the pegasus whirling around her, but Dash was moving too fast to see properly, let alone hit. Dash became a tornado composed of rainbow colors, spinning so fast that Moot fell over, her eyes swirling. Moot soon found herself swept up in a storm of wind, speed, and color, spinning around with the pegasus that had just grabbed her. Dash didn't hold on for long, letting Moot go after thoroughly shaking her up. It was entirely by chance that Moot went flying face first into a tree. She slid down the trunk, her snout coming loose with a comical pop. Giggling pathetically, Moot was now only semi-lucid.

"Haaa...ha ha! I win! R-right?"

"Dream on. Why dontcha give up?" Dash said, landing back near her friends. She looked around, her cocky smirk ebbing when she failed to notice Pinkie. The earth pony had skipped over to the very battered Moot, bouncing up and down on her head.

"Make-with-the-magic-o-kay?" Pinkie said happily, each word punctuated by her landing on Moot's head. The unicorn yelped and cried out in pain, wiggling her legs everywhere.

"Okay, okay! I give up, I give up!" Moot sobbed. Pinkie ceased the bouncing and trotted away, rejoining her friends, who waited with full expectation. Moot sat up, her face now patterned with red marks. After getting a good long look at the group approaching her, she gulped. "Actually...I'm so beaten up that the spell already went away! ...Heh heh...imagine that..." Twilight instantly looked to Rarity, and vice-versa. Sure enough, the golden chains had faded. Moot fell over again. "This hero stuff is tough! I quit."

"That's probably good, 'cause you're a joke!" Dash said bluntly. "Like seriously, it's _funny_ how sucky you are."

"Reckon ya just got in over yer head, huh?" Applejack said. She was doing her best to sound sympathetic. "Err...why don't ya let _us_ handle this little, erm..."

"Incident? Then you'll solve it? Who's behind it and stuff?" Moot babbled, standing back up. Her puffy, bloodshot eyes were scrunched up, but she had a gross, crooked smile. "Oh that's good! Then that means you're all ponies!" There was complete silence, apart from the echoing clop of Twilight's hoof smacking her forehead.

"...Did you think we _weren't?_" Twilight growled. It took a truly patient and unburdened mind to deal with raw stupidity, and Twilight's mind was anything but unburdened. "Somehow?" Moot's lip quivered.

"U-uh, ya see, there's other ponies in there, but they're not ponies...err, I mean there's _a _pony and-"

"Ya got yer flank ripped off an' shown to ya?" Applejack drawled. Moot nodded speedily.

"...More or less."

"Oh my...I'm so sorry we hurt you even more..." Fluttershy said. She hadn't gotten a good look at Moot's injuries until just a moment ago. She rushed over to Moot, trying to inspect her bruises and scrapes. Moot laughed weakly and pushed Fluttershy away. Or rather, she wished she had. Her hoof had actually failed to connect. "You're so banged up. You shouldn't be laughing..."

"Th-this? Err, don't concern yourself! They'll make good battle scars and...stuff..." Moot trailed away, her train of thought clearly derailed. "So um...I'll just be leaving you all to your...business. Bye now!" The pony made a weird, impish noise as she ran away from the group and out of the forest clearing. Fluttershy flew after the hobbling Moot, but Rainbow Dash intercepted her. Fluttershy whined, trying to break free from her stronger friend as Moot disappeared into the distance.

"We can't just let her go back alone..."

"We've got no time for that, Fluttershy!" Dash said. Fluttershy blinked, unconvinced as she and Rainbow Dash descended. "'Sides, she may be a joke, but she sure can book it when she has to."

"Don't worry about her, Fluttershy!" Pinkie said. "I'll throw her a nice get-well party sometime! I'll start planning as soon as we get back to Ponyville! That'll make everything better!"

"But...what if she gets eaten by a monster?" Fluttershy brought up nervously. An uncomfortable pause enveloped the clearing as everypony fidgeted. Rarity twirled her mane around while Applejack failed to whistle something upbeat.

"Ahh...I sees what ya mean," Pinkie Pie said, almost uncaring. "...But we can still have a party even if that does happen, yeah?"

"A party celebrating somepony getting _eaten?_" Rarity exclaimed, nearly ripping out a bit of her mane in astonishment. "How savage. Pinkie, how could you do something like that?" Pinkie raised an explanatory hoof and grinned playfully at Rarity.

"No, silly! We can just have a party for...for...party's sake? I dunno!" Pinkie shuffled around, giggling and going back to the cave mouth. Everypony followed suit, ready to leave the awkwardness behind.

"Din't she mention somethin' about a pony inside? One that clobbered her real good?" Applejack said quickly. Twilight nodded. "Reckon it's that, err, 'force' you were talkin' about a while back?" Twilight shrugged, honestly unable to form an opinion.

"Could be...but whatever it is, I got a bad feeling about what's up ahead," Twilight said.

"At least we know we're in the right place, yes?" Rarity said, delicately stepping over the muddier spots hidden slyly by large clumps of grass. Her pure white coat still didn't escape the grime despite her best efforts. "Urghh...a-at any rate, this place is highly suspicious, and the princess guaranteed the culprit behind this is in the forest. I do believe we've found our...well, _mastermind_, whatever it is..."

"Maybe it's not a pony!" Dash said, doing loops and playful spins in the air as the cave mouth drew ever closer. "Dragons live in caves, right? Think it could be something like that?" The world dragon sent a shiver down Fluttershy's spine, sending her into a spree of whimpers and whinnies. Dash clumsily landed and hurried over to Fluttershy, smiling uncomfortably. "B-but it's probably not! Haa, listen to me! Why would a dragon be responsible for weird unicorns anyway! No need to worry!"

"It's magic, definitely," Twilight muttered to whoever would listen. She tilted her head up. The rocky maw of the cave looked capable of grazing the sky. Even the mighty trees of the Everfree looked like toothpicks compared to it. Twilight looked over her shoulder, taking one last glimpse around before staring back into the smooth blackness. She looked to her sides, to her friends, and steeled her nerves. "And whatever it is, we're putting a stop to it."


	4. Chapter 3

The cave mouth belched out a thunderous crash. The once-confident line of ponies faltered. Twilight gulped loudly, looking to her friends. They were all fidgeting, or outright cowering in the case of Fluttershy. She was clinging to one of Applejack's back legs. Applejack gave her leg a light shake, but Fluttershy only clung tighter in response.

"O-oh...what if there _is_ a dragon in there...?" Fluttershy said shakily. Rainbow Dash clonked a hoof against her own forehead.

"Fluttershy, that was a joke! Ha-_ha__!_" Dash said, giving what she thought was a reassuring laugh. "A stupid, _stupid_ joke..." Her voice trailed off into gibberish until a sort of fire lit up in her eyes. She puffed out her chest, her wing beats confident. "I-I'm goin' in!" With that, she zoomed into the darkness, vanishing without a trace. Twilight threw out her hoof.

"No! Dash you can't just charge in like that!" the unicorn said, her eye twitching. "We should go in toget-"

"I like Dashie's idea!" Pinkie Pie said, speeding in after Rainbow Dash. "Hee, hee! Chaaaaaaaarge!" The pink blur disappeared as quickly as Dash had. Twilight called out to Pinkie as well, but was distracted by Fluttershy. She had released her grip on Applejack's leg to flew in after her two friends, although she was still shivering. Through clenched teeth, Twilight lobbed a levitation spell at Fluttershy. She missed by a mile.

"P-Pinkie! Rainbow Dash! Y-you're not thinking this through!" Fluttershy called, her tone hoarse with worry. Twilight slammed her eyes shut.

"_None _of you are thinking this through!" Twilight screamed at the cave mouth. "Get back here this instan-"

"Now, hold up there," Applejack said, trotting past Twilight. She gave her a befuddled look. "Didn't you just make a big ol' speech about puttin' a stop ta' whatever's goin' on? Better to get on goin' forward, yeah?" Applejack looked at Twilight, who didn't have an answer. Nodding, Applejack galloped after the others, leaving Twilight behind with her incredulous expression. "Wait up, y'all!" were the last words Applejack said before her voice faded. Twilight roared and stomped repeatedly, sending mud flying. When Twilight ended her venting, she looked around to be met with a very dirty Rarity. Her white coat was splattered with brown now, and her eyes narrowed to venomous slits. Twilight giggle bashfully, smiling big. Rarity only flicked some mud off her tail.

"Well then, shall we be on our way?" Rarity snooted. "Or are we having too much fun playing in the mud?" She started for the cave, her snout upturned. Mud dripped off her sides as she carefully stepped into the cave mouth, trying to maintain what little elegance she had left. Twilight gave a defeated sigh, now alone. She jumped, startled as the cave churned again with the force of an avalanche. Twilight hung her head, but advanced nonetheless.

"This is going to be a long night, isn't it...?" she said under her breath as she passed through the shadows, leaving the moonlit clearing behind.

* * *

><p>As Twilight walked into cave, the darkness greedily enveloped her as though it had been awaiting new company. All sight was lost. Even the faintest bit of light from the clearing outside failed to spill into the cave. Twilight whirled around to check behind her. She saw nothing but black. Turning back around and grimacing, she continued aimlessly, hopelessly forward.<p>

A pony's eyes would adjust to the dark eventually, even if they had poor vision. This had yet to happen to Twilight. The endless darkness still left her blind, denying her any clue as to where she was or where she was going. All she could hear was a faint wind whistling through her ears, which flattened with unease. Twilight's heart pounded, her breathing becoming short. She knew, just knew, that some noise like that crash from earlier was going to blare without warning and send her flying out of her skin. Even as she braced herself, no such sound arrived. At least, no unsubtle sound. Twilight swore she could hear faint moans.

As Twilight sped into a gallop, the floor gradually grew rougher, more tumble, all while retaining a treacherous slickness. Twilight nearly tripped over her own hooves more than once, but miraculously managed to keep her balance. The occasional faint moans and grunts were now constant, and certainly not a thing of the imagination. They only grew loader with each passing second, rapidly building into a maddening chorus of wails.

"A-applejack? Rarity? Pinkie Pie? Rainbow Dash? Fluttershy?" she kept calling out to everypony over and over again, praying for a response. The moans persisted. Like the darkness around her, the space in front of Twilight had been consistently empty. That is, until she ran into what must have been a writhing mass of flesh and fur. Twilight didn't even bother to cast some kind of spell, instead resorting to basic instincts. She neighed in horror, her legs kicking and thrusting senselessly. She her head spun and cracked as something very powerful and fast clocked her right in the face. Terrified but not stunned, Twilight feebly wiggled her legs, screaming and squirming. "What's there? Is anything there? What? What? _What?_"

"Hiya Twilight!" Pinkie's voice rang out from somewhere fairly close. It was in front of Twilight, that was certain. "See everypony? I told you it was her!"

"Pinkie! Th-thank goodness. Oh, thank goodness it's you!" Twilight practically screamed. She felt her eyes water as she flailed her legs around some more. This new bout of movement resulted in something very big and warm sliding on top of her. Rarity's voice squeaked from directly above Twilight. The wriggling body had jolted Twilight, but she quickly calmed down and began to put two and two together. "...I-is everypony here right now?"

"Yep! All piled up in a big old pony pile!" Pinkie said rather happily, given the situation. "But these worrywarts thought it was some monster when I told them you were on your way here! Pretty silly, huh?"

"It's not like she sounded like herself, Pinkie Pie!" Rainbow Dash answered, her voice laden with discomfort. "This stupid darkness makes everything sound like it's some beastie creepin' around."

"Did I really not sound like me?" Twilight tried to say, but she ended up getting a lot of muddy fur in her mouth. She spluttered messily as Rarity cried out, her voice very high-pitched.

"T-t-twilight! Oh my g-goodness! Turn your head for goodness sake!" Rarity stammered, her voice squeaking with embarrassment. Twilight blinked, not sure of what to say. Rarity paused, but feeling that Twilight's snout hadn't moved, she squealed again. "Please! Your head is dangerously close to where it ought _not _to be, if you catch my meaning!" Twilight blinked again before realization hit her square in the nose. She hastily turned her head, cringing.

"S-sorry..."

"That's quite all right, th-thank you. A-hem...erm, crisis averted."

"Y-yeah..." Twilight said, the creeping heat in her face spreading down to her neck. She didn't dare move a muscle, even though she felt the back of her neck pillowed against something soft and furry. "S-so, Pinkie, you're sure _everypony's _here?"

"Come on! When have I ever lied about anything?" Pinkie Pie giggled. A muffled, completely unintelligible voice came from somewhere near Twilight. Something behind her neck shifted. Pinkie gave a very deep, obnoxious snort all of sudden, exhaling airily afterwards. Twilight heard incredulous stammering from Rainbow Dash. "And speaking of honesty, I'm gonna tell ya straight up Dashie. You smell _really _good! Mmm...sweeeeeet..."

"P-Pinkie Pie!" Dash coughed. "Is now really the time for you to go and say something like tha-" Dash's protests were interupted by a gentle sniff from Rarity. She gasped dramatically.

"Goodness! Why Pinkie Pie, you're absolutely right!" Rarity exclaimed. "Rainbow Dash, you smell positively heavenly!"

"Yo, stop saying what I said, only more fancy!" Pinkie grumbled. Dash blubbered as yet another, very quiet sniffle came from further away.

"Oh my...Rainbow Dash..." Fluttershy said, somewhat muffled by the dank dark. "...You're...that's...oh, so nice...I never even noticed that you smelled so good..." Dash whimpered pathetically as the sniffing continued. Twilight gave an uncomfortable giggle as she felt a plethora of rustling and struggling motions.

"H-hey! Stop it...stop that!" Rainbow Dash said, her voice cracking several times. "I feel weird...! I mean, this! This is weird! You're all makin' me feel weird!" The sniff fest was put to an end by more completely unintelligible groaning. This time, it was louder and slightly angry.

"So, I'm guessing that's Applejack?" Twilight said. "She got stuck at the bottom somehow?"

"Don't ask _me_ how!" Dash spat out. "I don't even know how we got in this mess!"

"Well we need to get out of it, post-haste!" Rarity said quickly, shuffling around blindly and failing to get off of Twilight.

"If only it weren't so dark..." Fluttershy lamented. Applejack's body shuddered below the piled up friends.

"MFFGEEC!" Applejack said, apparently. Nopony knew what to make of this.

"...Okay, so we need to move around so she can get out," Twilight said flatly. "Otherwise, we're never gonna hear what she's-"

"Oh! Oh! Can I say what I _think_ she's saying?" Pinkie asked. Nopony responded, prompting her to giggle in delight. "All righty then! So, what she said just now was, "Gosh danggit, Rainbow! You smell right dee-liciou-"

"Would you stop?" Dash said sternly, smacking what she thought was the top of Pinkie's head. Instead of the expected yelp of pain, Pinkie Pie gave a sharp neigh, followed by a prolonged groan.

"Ooohhh...D-dashie..."

"Erk? Wh-what, I...? Umm..."

"MEEEFFFF-JEEEEEC!" Applejack roared with more rage than ever. Her words remained complete gibberish, despite her best efforts.

"Do you suppose she's having trouble breathing?" asked Rarity nonchalantly.

"Did somepony order the breath of liiiiiiiiiife?" Pinkie chimed in. She took in a monstrous gulp of air and latched onto the nearest target.

"P-pinkie wait! That's my...!" Dash shrieked before Pinkie blew with all her might. Dash moaned loudly for several, obscenely long seconds. "...Neck."

"Oopsy! Sorry, Dashie! But hey, you don't taste half bad either!" Pinkie Pie laughed. Dash shuddered weirdly at this, but Pinkie Pie's tone suddenly jumped to one of half concern. "_Now_ what's poor Applejack gonna do?" Applejack answered Pinkie's question with brute force. Her patience truly tried, she emerged like an erupting volcano. The ponies went flying like struck every which way.

"MAGIC! FER PETE'S SAKE, SOMEPONY USE MAGIC!" Applejack bellowed furiously. Her exhausted, ragged panting was the only thing that broke through the silence, before she gave a long sigh. "Ya...y-ya know...so we can least see our noses...in front of our faces..." Simultaneously struck with understanding, Rarity and Twilight straightened up. Raising her horn, Twilight squinted, inwardly chastising herself for not thinking of this solution sooner. The faint magical light coming from the horns didn't do much to drive away the dominating shadows, but the unicorns could now at least make out their features.

A rogue beam of light jumped away from the aura surrounding Rarity's horn. The beam travelled to a corner of the cavern, bursting into an explosion of green sparkles. Twilight's head jerked in the direction of the sight. The ray had come into contact with what looked like a green crystal embedded in the craggy walls of the cavern. The crystal now produced its own merry green glow. The sparkles emanating from it gravitated to another, identical one. It too burst into a shower of different, red and blue sparks. This triggered the activation of even more crystal clusters gathered close by. The walls, ceilings and cobblestone ground lit up, rapidly chasing the darkness away and illuminating the cavern in a soft, yellow glow.

Twilight gazed at her scattered friends. Rarity had gotten up, captivated by the cramped walls of the cavern and gibbering joyously over the procession of bright crystals. Fluttershy was propped upside-down against the opposite, left wall of the cave. She looking dazed, her eyes adjusting to the light show. Meanwhile, a good distance from Twilight, Pinkie Pie had her front legs fastened tight against Rainbow Dash's neck. She snuggled it happily as Dash's face flushed pink and her wings spread wide. Pinkie Pie looked up, noticing Dash's discomfort.

"What? It's cold in here," Pinkie said innocently, loosening her hold and straightening up, shaking out her wet, chilly fur like a dog. Rainbow Dash also rose, hovering in the air in an effort to dodge Pinkie's water spray. She wiped some spittle off her neck and looked down further into the cave, and then back the way everypony had supposedly come from. Her gaze darted back and forth restlessly.

"Okay, so this might be me, but," she said, her voice breaking a little. "But did anypony else notice that there wasn't anything coming in from the outside? Y'know, like you stepped hoof in here and somepony shut a big door?" Applejack shook some water out of her fur. Not a trace of anger or frustration remained in her expression.

"Matter of fact, I do recall somethin' like that," Applejack said. She looked anxiously down the wall of glimmering crystals, and then back behind her. Both ways were identical, and there wasn't a cave mouth anywhere in sight. "Meanin'...well, hopin' it don't mean what ah'm thinkin'..." Fluttershy slumped over onto her back, shakily getting up and keeping her head low, her eyes quivering.

"Do you mean...we're t-trapped?" she whimpered, her whole body trembling as she looked over to Applejack. Seeing Fluttershy's fear, she shook her head strongly.

"Naw, naw! Didn't mean ta' imply that!" Applejack said, keeping an air of confidence. Fluttershy stood up slightly taller. "'Sides, we're not leavin' til' we're good an' done here, so why worry about gettin' out now?"

"Y-yes! Of course. You're absolutely right, Applejack," Twilight affirmed, her own eyes shifting quickly back to what she thought was the cave entrance. She laughed artificially, glancing helplessly from crystal the crystal and not making eye contact with anypony. "We should just be thankful we can see, right? At least now we can move."

"Well, I guess that's true..." Fluttershy reasoned. Twilight nodded and looked straight ahead.

"Applejack, what was that you said earlier?" Twilight asked. "Best be going forward? Something like that?"

"When you've got no idea where to go next, yeah," she replied, although her tone was a bit reluctant. "Cain't really go anywhere else right now, anyway." Twilight flicked a loose stone with her hoof.

"So let's go ahead! But, I believe we all learned a valuable lesson about staying together tonight, _right?_" Twilight said with angry emphasis, an exasperated smile on her face. Everypony except Rarity gave their own awkward nods. The gem-loving unicorn was too busy fawning over the crystals jutting from rocky bumps, with coos of "Gems, gems everywhere!" Her eyes were shining just as brightly as the objects of her desire.

It took quite a bit of effort to get to move her, requiring a combination of Rainbow Dash and Applejack pushing and pulling. She wouldn't stop complaining during the trip down the cavern, which showed no sign of ending.

"I'm more dirty and tired and thirsty than I ever have been!" Rarity groaned. "The _least_ you all could do is let me, eh-heh, _inspect_ these little beauties a bit more closely..."

"We're all tired and thirsty, Rare," Twilight said dully, eying the continuous, unorganized lines of crystals and rock formations. "But anypony who wants to lick the ground, be my guest..." She referred to the tiny veins of clear water rushing through the cracks in the cobblestone floor. Rarity gave a squeaky pout, unsatisfied.

"You forgot dirty, though! None of you are as dirty as _I_ am!" Rarity said, as though it were a contest. She dragged her eyes away from the crystals to frown at her muddy, soggy coat . "Oh...! That's the _worst_ part of this nonsense! Gems or no gems, this cave is such a bother!" Scowling, she glared at the crystals, as if they had personally wronged her.

"Save yer whinin' for when some baddies show up," Applejack said. "That's the only time it's got some use, sugar cube." Rarity fumed.

"Oh, and now you have to go and assume we're to be accosted at some point?" Rarity declared, her voice high. She had stopped cold, about-facing and upturning her snout. "Why, I've got half a mind to start looking for the exit now!"

"Don't think you've got to," Dash said, pointing a hoof directly ahead. She rubbed her head with her other free hoof. The restricting ceiling was peppered with discouraging stalactites, resulting in multiple bumps and bruises. "Urgh...think we have a winner?" The cave went on for a while longer, but at the end of the long tunnel was an abrupt change in light. The prismatic glow of the crystals suddenly vanished without explanation.

"Only one way to find out," Twilight said, galloping to the strange place. Everypony followed close behind, even the initially sluggish Rarity. The cave walls became spaced further and further apart as the ponies approached the unlit area. From a distance, the opening at the end of the passage might have been mistakable for a towering cave mouth, but things soon became apparent.

Upon reaching the new dark area, the ponies screeched to a grinding halt, hesitant to go any further. The shadows created a very noticeable boundary between the lit part of the cave and the portion veiled in black. Everypony looked at Twilight expectantly, and noticing their faces, she walked forward and cast a random spell. The result was the same as before. The once unknown and menacing bit of cave was set alight by a melange of fantastically colored crystals. The other ponies hurried into the well-lit room after Twilight, who smirked, pleased with her work. However, they had barely stepped one hoof into the new area before the same tremendous crash from earlier resounded. Rainbow Dash fell to the ground, unable to stay aloft as she covered her ears. The crashing didn't last, thankfully, fading to a dull rumble within mere seconds.

"It's the dragon!" Fluttershy whimpered, back to clinging onto Applejack. "And he's louder than before...oh no! Do you think this is his lair?" The room the ponies had entered was indeed much larger than the previous cramped tunnel. The ceiling arched up high, with huge bunches of crystals and stalactites hanging from it.

"Told you before Fluttershy. There _is _no dragon. Made him up, I swear," Dash tried once more to convince Fluttershy, who let Applejack's leg go. Fluttershy stuck to the ground, her bright yellow wings or hooves refusing to budge. Dash gave a short grunt and flew higher than before, glad to have her freedom back.

"Whoa-oh! Whaddya think that is?" Pinkie Pie said, returning to her usual hopping routine. Her tail twitched madly as she flung her hooves through the damp air. Twilight looked in the general direction that Pinkie had indicated, although it was a bit of a challenge considering the pony's front legs whipped everywhere. Across the rocky hills and crystals loomed a huge, jagged wall. A giant, pitch-black crevasse was slashed into it, stretching to the top of the room. Pinkie giggled as she hopped faster, making for it. "Heh, heh. Crack-a-lackin'!" She had nearly made it across the room before a fast brown streak shot at her. It slammed the ground, producing a sound like a gunshot. The force of the landing sent Pinkie Pie clean off her hooves, knocking her backwards. She tumbled like a rag doll, bouncing off incoming stalagmites and shattering several crystals with her flying body. She ended up at Twilight's hooves, her eyes swiveling.

Twilight stared across the room, her mouth gaping. She had managed to wrench her eyes away from Pinkie Pie to have a look at a dark brown pony that stood at the room's center. Her body was covered in a network of pink, fleshy lines that seemed to be cut into her, making their way to her chest where they formed a heart symbol. The mysterious pony's slick black mane fell into her equally black eyes, which were narrowed to confrontational slits. Her frame was lowered to the ground as she crooked her front leg and neighed softly.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" Dash shouted at the brown pony. She tilted her head rigidly towards Rainbow Dash. Dash glanced at Pinkie, who writhed pathetically on the ground. "Y-you're gonna pay for that!" The pegasus seethed, looking as though steam were about to billow out her ears. She gave a loud cry and zipped through the air so fast that her wings seemed to slash the air apart. As Dash swooped down, the unidentified pony stretched out a hoof, stopping Rainbow Dash between the eyes and holding her in place. Dash beat her wings as hard as she could, but she failed to get anywhere. The brown pony pushed her front leg forward, propelling Dash into a wall. Dash crumpled to the ground, moaning as her vision became blurry. The brown pony jumped high into the air, landing in front of the crack in the wall with another powerful boom. She spat and whipped her mane around.

"More intruders..." she said. Her voice was an eerie, robotic monotone. "Nopony passes through..." Twilight tried using magic to get Pinkie Pie to her hooves. The dazed pony stood for a moment, and then fluttered over as though she were a cardboard cut-out.

"Guess that's where we're headed next," Twilight said, staring in anticipation at the brown pony and crevasse. She gulped. "I-if we can get past..." As she said this, Fluttershy rushed up from behind Applejack, flapping over to Pinkie Pie, who was still lying on the ground. A collection of large bumps peeked out of her thick mane as she stuttered incoherently. Fluttershy then looked over to Rainbow Dash, who was trying and failing to get up from way across the room. Her eyes went hectically from Pinkie to Rainbow Dash and then back to Pinkie, conflicted as to who she should help first. She finally settled on neither, instead resting her irate gaze upon the lone, brown pony far away from her. Her eyes twitched madly, their normal forgiving blue twisted hatefully icy. She slowly ascended, her body rippling with anger.

"How could you...do this? What did they do to you, huh?" Fluttershy screamed at the apathetic pony, who didn't so much as blink. "You mean, inconsiderate...! I can't believe you would resort to such behavior before anything else! Even if we don't belong here, how could you just attack us, without giving us a chance to...?" Fluttershy was right up in the pony's face now, spraying shout after indignant shout in her face. The guard responded not by cowering, but by raising a hoof, ready to swat the enraged Fluttershy out of the air. Fluttershy's eyes widened even further, out of shock this time. She fumbled trying to dodge, not expecting the pony to attack her mid-sentence. An instant before the guard's hit landed, Applejack burst out from behind. She bounded over a rocky hill, intercepting the brown pony's hoof and parrying the blow.

Fluttershy fell to the ground and edged away as Applejack aimed a swift kick at the attacking pony's chest. Her target ducked to the ground, reading Applejack's movements and responding with a charging headbutt. Applejack escaped by deftly moving to the side and didn't waste a moment to aim another kick at the brown pony, who dodged. The two ponies continued to trade blows, never actually hitting the other, until Rainbow Dash zig-zagged through the air, fully recovered. Flying high, Rainbow Dash fiercely dove at the brown pony, who leapt aside. The force of her hooves hitting hard rock sent a current of pain up Dash's legs, making them feel like jelly. She winced, unable to move properly and stumbling around. Applejack jumped over her stunned ally before the brown pony could close in. Applejack struck out with her front legs, sending the guard flying. However, she flipped in mid-air and landed flat on her hooves, looking none the worse for wear.

She reared up and gave a powerful stomp, sending out a quake that made Applejack falter. Rainbow Dash had just taken off, shaking off the pain from her failed attack. She wobbled precariously, shaken up by the temblor. The brown pony took this opportunity to rush over to Dash, biting her tail and swinging her around. With a sharp flick, the pony threw Rainbow Dash like a javelin, aiming directly at Applejack. The two ponies collided before either had a chance to swerve. They both found themselves far away from the guard pony, on top of one another and heaving violently out of fatigue. As they tried to catch their breath, they soon found themselves surrounded by everypony else. Trading glances, Applejack and Rainbow Dash shambled back up, dusting themselves off and glaring at the brown pony. She didn't pursue, instead returning to the crevasse and standing like a statue.

"I'm so sorry everypony. Applejack, Rainbow Dash...this is my fault..." Fluttershy blurted out as Applejack and Rainbow Dash took generous gulps of air. "I just don't want to solve this problem through violence! Nopony needs to get hurt, right? Not you, or whoever that pony is. I thought...well, things usually turn out okay when I decide to raise my voice at things..."

"Not...not yer fault, Fluttershy," Applejack panted. "It's just...it's just that lunkhead's too stubborn ta' listen ta' words, ah'm thinkin'. Know how that goes sometimes, myself...so, reckonin' fightins' gonna be the only way fer now. Jus' don't step outta line again, okay?" She gave a wry little grin, which turned to a grimace as she massaged her sore neck. "Ooh! Varmint really packs a whallop, though..."

"You're telling me," Dash agreed, cracking her back. "It's not...natural! It's like she knows what we're gonna do...b-before we even do it! Think she's cheating somehow...?"

"A brute like that excels in physical combat, obviously," Rarity said slyly. She winked at Twilight, who got her message. "But what can she do about magic, I wonder?"

"Duh! Why didn't we think of that earlier?" Twilight said, smirking. She cleared her throat, surveying the group. "So here's the plan! Rarity and I will trap her with magic, and everypony makes a beeline for the exit. Got it? Simple, right?"

"So simple yer thinkin' it cain't go wrong?" Applejack mumbled, clumsily crossing her front legs.

"More things can flip out if you've got lots of things planned, right?" Twilight reasoned. Applejack just shrugged. "So I fail to see how this could, well, fail!"

"Now that you've gone and said that, I'm gonna say it probably will!" Pinkie Pie said, her chipper tone not wavering in the slightest. Twilight ignored the peppy heckling and gestured for Rarity to stand next to her. The two got close to the pony guarding the crevasse, causing her to resume her low fighting stance. Twilight scoffed at this and nodded to Rarity. The pair shot binding levitation spells at the guard, lifting her high into the air to the point where the crevasse began to taper. Although the brown pony struggled to maul the magic engulfing her, she failed to get free. Twilight shook her head at her friends, fighting the burden of the resisting pony.

"G-Go, n-now!" she squeezed out between tightly clenched teeth. Merely speaking put a strain on her concentration, and the thrashing prisoner descended a couple of feet. Before the group of ponies could even trot hastily past her, Twilight felt a hideous, bubbling feeling take hold of her eyes. She watched her friends approach the crevasse, but she was losing her grip on the brown pony. The network of pink veins pulsed bright red, wreathing her in crimson. Twilight felt an explosion of magic as a sickening pop came from her eyes. She screamed in as a white-hot stinging ravaged her skull, forcing her to let go of her magic. Rarity cancelled her own spell, unable to hold the pony by herself. The brown pony fell right in front of the crevasse, hurrying to provide blockage once more. Everypony was more worried about Twilight, though, abandoning their escape long before the pony resumed guarding.

"Welp, back to square one again," Applejack sighed, before charging up to the brown pony and squaring off with her. "Let's knock her out the old-fashioned way!" The two swung at each other, both equally tired, their movements and reactions slower as a result. In the meantime, Fluttershy flew over to the collapsed Twilight and, with the help of Rarity, managed to get her standing again. Twilight heaved and watched the battling ponies helplessly, unable to cast spells through her tenacious migraine. Applejack threw kick after kick at the brown pony, who would backstep and try to ram her. In turn, Applejack would always move aside and ready another kick at her ribs. Rainbow Dash also circled above, flitting around and trying to get in cheap aerial shots whenever the brown pony looked vulnerable. However, she never got close enough to land a blow without risking hitting Applejack or getting plucked out of the air herself. Curiously, Pinkie Pie was nowhere to be seen, neither a part of the fight nor helping Twilight.

"Go Applejack! A-and Rainbow Dash! G-go get her! ...Yay," Fluttershy attempted to cheer. Twilight made an odd blubbering noise. The brief fit of searing pain had left her, but she couldn't shake that nasty feeling from earlier.

"That pony's not normal...somehow," Twilight breathed. Rarity and Fluttershy tore their eyes away from the skirmish to stare at Twilight. "She...she used magic...somehow..."

"But she's not a unicorn," Fluttershy said, eyes transfixed upon the whirling and darting brown pony, as though trying to spot a horn.

"Twilight, I felt something earlier too," Rarity assured. "It was faint, yes, but it was undoubtedly magical. There's no mistaking that..."

"I wonder...just what she is..." Twilight said. Rarity gave a dainty little cough. "I mean, she _looks_ like a pony, that's for sure...but something's definitely up here..."

The brown pony slashed a front leg at Applejack's head, but she turned and responded with another quick kick. The two ponies were locked, struggling with each other's attack, trying to break through. Rainbow Dash took this opportunity to make a u-turn and bolt for the brown pony. She saw Dash flying for her out of the corner of her eye, ducking out of the struggle. Applejack lost her balance, forcing Rainbow Dash to dart upward and avoid another collision. The brown pony seized Applejack's moment of weakness and swept her front leg low, taking her bewildered opponent out at the legs. Applejack fell to the ground, her hat spinning off her head. She blinked repeatedly, looking up to see the reared up brown pony. Just as she smashed her legs down onto Applejack's head, Pinkie Pie ambushed her, wrapping around her neck and laughing crazily.

"Tickle powers, activate!" Pinkie Pie squealed, staying glued to the raving brown pony's neck. She snaked her fluffy tail to the brown pony's snout and wiggled it around like a feather duster. The pony reeled, her pupils shrunken as she sneezed uncontrollably. Applejack couldn't believe what she was seeing, but was unable to hold back her triumphant laughter. Pinkie jumped off the defenseless pony and hopped away. "All yours now, Applejack!"

"Thank ya kindly," Applejack said as she dove beneath the brown pony, who had recovered. However, it was too late for her to realize what had happened. Applejack lifted the hapless pony up onto her strong back before catapulting her. She called to Rainbow Dash, who launched herself off a wall to give a much-needed boost to her power and velocity. Dash smirked, the brown pony right in her sights.

"Kay, here's some payback for ya!" Dash roared before corkscrewing into her opponent's side with the strength of a launched missile. Flipping through the air, Dash landed perfectly flat on her hooves. Her enemy emitted a shrill cry before tumbling down to the ground with an oddly hollow clatter. She finally lay docile and silent, her now milky white eyes wide open in disbelief.

Applejack scooped up her hat, donning it and not looking for her friends. Pinkie Pie skipped happily in front of her as Dash flew overhead, landing near the crevasse. Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight were gathered next to the dark opening. Before Pinkie, Applejack and Dash could even rejoin the group, Fluttershy had already broken her hold on Twilight's neck to try and embrace the three of them.

"I'm...we're so glad you're all right!" Fluttershy cried. Little tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. "We felt so...so..."

"S'all right, sugar cube," Applejack said, savoring her friend's warm embrace before looking to Twilight and smiling. "Simple plans cain't fail, eh?" Twilight just chuckled to herself.

"And when it comes down to it, you solved the problem by hitting it," she said. "Doesn't get much simpler than that! So you've got it right! Simple plans never fail..."

"Umm, ex_cuse_ me," Dash cut in, wrestling with a happily squirming Fluttershy. "I believe _I_ was the one who ended doing the hitting in the end!" Pinkie bounced around, out of Fluttershy's hug.

"Hey, hey! Remember when I tickled her?" Pinkie said. "Never underestimate the power of the tickle tail!" She snapped her trusty tail, producing a loud whip crack.

"I suppose even mundane tricks have their uses in sticky situations," Rarity said, beaming at Pinkie Pie. "But without that little intervention, Applejack might be a little less presentable than she is now..."

"Well, shucks. Ah'm right flattered that ya think ah' look _presentable,_ after this lil' scrap," Applejack said sarcastically. "Cuz' gosh, that pony messin' up my hair'd be the _worst _thing that coulda' happened ta' me!" Rarity growled, slapping Applejack with a muddy tail. It didn't really do anything. "Seriously, though. Don't know what ah' woulda' done if Pinkie hadn't jumped in!"

"Yeah, Pinkie. You really saved...the...!" Twilight began before she made the mistake of looking back towards the brown pony. She was standing again, low to the ground as always, with different parts of her body twitching erratically. The lines covering her body throbbed a hideous dark red. Her face was screwed up in feral rage. Everypony turned slowly around to see her heaving and snorting. Twilight choked out just one, very fast word. "Run."

Everypony whirled around to face the crevasse. Before they could even step in the direction of escape, though, the pony tumbled out of nowhere, landing in front of the group with a giant thud. Various shrieks and yells issued from everypony as Twilight frantically looked around. The guard's impact was so strong that she ended up lodging her hooves in the rock. Huge cracks spread out from beneath her. Pulling her legs from the ground, she jumped again, all the way to the ceiling. Landing just behind the group this time, everypony felt the ground shake ominously below them. Rock fragments flew everywhere as the brown pony continued to jump and land, creating more cracks and craters.

"Wh-what's she doing?" Dash shouted, trying to take flight, but she was unable to push off from the rumbling ground. The stalactites and crystals up above shuddered like splinters of driftwood in a furious ocean. The entire cavern threatened to split apart as the flurry of impacts from the brown pony continued without end in sight. Huge chunks of debris sailed through the air every time her hooves met the ground, sending everypony scrambling to avoid them. The frightfully shaking foundation prevented anypony from reaching her, and the now falling crystal shards and stalactites pinned the group down even more. Chunks of the ceiling had crashed to the ground in front of crevasse, barring any escape. Sweating, Twilight and Rarity pelted levitation spell after levitation spell at more slabs of falling ceiling, working to protect everypony.

The brown pony made one last jump, landing in the direct center of the destroyed room. The only thing left intact at this point was the floor, and even that was scarred beyond repair by sharp cracks produced. The content guard smirked as she fell backward, her eyes going colorless.

"_No_...pony...passes...by..."

At these words, the faulty floor gave way. Everypony screamed in unbound terror. Dash and Fluttershy got ready to fly for their lives, but they were quickly stopped by commands from Twilight.

"N-no! Everypony group up!" Neither pegasus had time to complain, bunching together with Applejack and Pinkie Pie. Everypony had gathered in the middle of a steadily crumbling piece of floor. Everything had been collapsing, but Rarity aimed a levitation spell on the disintegrating slab of rock the group stood on. Twilight was doing her best to hold up a makeshift umbrella of fallen ceiling parts, attempting to shield her friends from the descending wreckage. Rarity was actually managing to lower the platform at a safe pace, while Twilight's improvised barrier successfully deterred the onslaught of rock.

Unable to see well in the collapsing room, Twilight didn't catch the incoming pillars of stone weaving through the gaps in her shield. The enormous hunks of debris hammered the floating platform, splintering it. Rarity's spell dissolved as everypony separated, unable to stay huddled. The piercing howls of grinding stone silenced six, horrified screams. Twilight panicked as she looked around, trying desperately to think up a plan, to assess the situation. Did Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy take flight? Whipping her head around, Twilight saw nopony near her. Maybe she could teleport to safety? What was the use, she thought. Was there even anywhere solid to go to? In this room that had been reduced to shambles? Twilight closed her eyes, whimpering as the wind swished around her, carrying her hopelessly down into the depths below.


	5. Chapter 4

"...ity..."

Rarity stirred as she heard the end of her name being called. The caller's voice was faint, and she couldn't make out who it was. She felt and heard a pronounced sloshing in her ears. Her mind wasn't all there.

"...Rare..."

The voice came again, slightly louder this time. Still, it retained little detail. Rarity felt her limbs twitch involuntarily.

"Rarity!"

This time that voice came loud and clear, causing Rarity to bolt upright. She immediately wished she hadn't, though. She lurched and coughed up some water. She creaked open her eyes and the cave soon swam into view before her. She was on the bank of a great river, which tossed wave after crashing wave forward. She felt wet rocks shift beneath her as she performed the task of moving around. Her sopped fur felt as though it weighed as much as full, iron plate mail.

"Ah! Thank Celestia yer awake!" Applejack said. Her voice was brimming with relief. Rarity turned and saw the earth pony smiling warmly, laying alongside her on the carpet of oval shaped rocks. "You sank like a stone...a-ah was afraid you'd drowned!"

"Really, Applejack," Rarity spluttered. Her mouth was saturated with gritty, grimy tasting water. It wasn't quite the drink she wanted, but she felt strangely refreshed. "Do you believe I'm that fragile?"

"It's not a matter a' how fragile ya are," Applejack said, laughing weakly. She gestured to the ceiling, with Rarity clumsily following her hoof. A gaping hole that had once been the floor of the cave's upper level was visible high up above. Tiny fragments of rocks still drifted down from the remains of the once looming room. "River's already carried away the leftovers. Guess that's all well an' good, but you wouldn't believe how much I had ta' fight ta' getcha back here. Ah' was afraid ah'd lost ya...don't know what ah'd do if you...well..."

"Oh..." Rarity was taken aback by the somber tone of Applejack's voice. The earth pony's drenched bangs and hat flew over her eyes, casting them into obscurity. She sounded as though she had failed to rescue her friend. "I-I...ohh..." Rarity muttered, before quickly resuming a more dignified pose. She was aghast at the stupefied drawl of her own voice. That wasn't how a lady spoke. "Erm, I mean, uhh...h-how adamant of you, Applejack. You have my sincerest gratitude, f-for saving me..." Applejack's smile returned, her narrowed green eyes returning to normal.

"Tain't nothin'...course, you weren't even breathin' when I hauled you on up here," Applejack said, standing up. Her hooves scraped loudly against the wet, smooth stones. Rarity herself stood to match, although her waterlogged mane fell into her eyes like a curtain, making her stumble. Rarity attempted to shake herself dry as Applejack continued to relay what had happened. She choked sharply before she got much further, though. She found herself interrupted by the nearby splashing of a sagging Pinkie Pie.

"It was a total scam!" Pinkie blared, taking swats at the pristine waves. "I mean, _I've_ been trying to do that ever since we started out on this thing! And _Applejack_ of all ponies gets to steal my thunder? Sch-yeah! What a cheap shot! I feel like AJ owes me something, y'know?" Pinkie Pie didn't even look at Applejack and Rarity, who were slowly moving towards her. She was ranting at nopony as she slapped the water with more and more fervor, getting her face wet. "Bwa-ha-ha! Twilight and the others are nowhere, I forgot my scuba gear, _and_ I haven't seen any cakes or candy or pies anywhere yet! Who's running this place? Obviously somepony who hates having a good time!" Pinkie Pie stabbed an indignant hoof into the surface of the river. Her brow furrowed as she stared with pure malice at the current. She still didn't notice her two friends, who were standing right behind her now. "I'll bet they saw me coming and said, 'Quick everypony! Hide the sweets! We need to make Pinkie Pie's day as _bad_ as possible!' Well they did a great job! Let's throw em' a job well done party! Anything to get something scrumptiously sugar-coated in me! AHHH-oh hi, Rarity! Applejack!" The pony's enraged, horrifying visage instantly evaporated into her normal clueless, yet delighted, expression as she rolled over onto her back and saw her friends. Their faces were blank, unable to makes heads or tails of what they had just witnessed. "How's it hangin'?" Pinkie Pie giggled after a short pause. She seemed to have forgotten about her tirade.

"I-it's...everything's fine an' dandy, Pinkie," Applejack stuttered, shaking her head and returning to reality. Rarity was swishing her own head around, but she appeared to be looking for the rest of the group. Her eyes became half-lidded in disappointment after failing to locate them anywhere along the riverbank.

"You said Twilight and the others are...nowhere? Is that right?" Rarity asked Pinkie Pie, who squirmed around with a quizzical look about her.

"Huh? Are they?" she said, confused. "How can anypony be nowhere? If they could be, I'd ask em' how they got there, silly!"

"You know what I mean, Pinkie!" Rarity snapped. Pinkie Pie jumped up, hopping around and sending droplets of water everywhere. "Are they around here anywhere?" Pinkie blinked blankly, frowning before erupting into a torrent of laughter.

"Noooo! They're not here!" Pinkie said before slamming her snout onto the ground. Her neck made a sick cracking noise, making Rarity wince. The earth pony's eyes screwed up in concentration as she clambered up the only slope up from the riverbank. She was headed for an enormous stone archway set in a wall. Pinkie sniffed the rocky floor as she went along. Rarity followed her, anxious and totally baffled.

"What in the world are you doing?" she sputtered. Pinkie was steadily getting further and further away, her belly skimming the ground. The dirt and pebbles below her parted as her flank and tail bobbed lazily in the air. Rarity sped up both her pace and speech. She was now at the base of the arch. "Pinkie! Stop this instant and tell me what you're-"

"I can smell em'! All of em'! Over through here!" the pink pony growled. Her voice was gruff as she gave a loud, raucous sniff. She barked like a dog before scampering beneath the archway. Rarity was floored by this statement, blinking vacantly.

"Say what now?" Rarity chirped. "I-is this really happening? Am I just dreaming?"

"Yer as awake as can be," Applejack murmured, passing the unicorn by. Rarity shook her head and began to move again, making a point to stay at Applejack's side. "Trust me. I'll kick ya to prove it, if you'd like."

"No, no, that won't be necessary," Rarity said, looking forward. She and Applejack had now passed beneath the opening in the wall. The fairly tight corridor the ponies now travelled through was adorned with more, bright yellow crystals, spilling ample light across the uneven path. Pinkie Pie was nothing more than a cheerily colored speck on a rocky horizon. Having gotten enough of the sights, Rarity turned to Applejack. "But how could she _possibly_ just know where the others are? I want an explanation!"

"It's Pinkie. There's yer explanation," Applejack said flatly. Rarity scoffed roughly, unsatisfied. "Okay, okay. So it's a little bit iffy. But it's not like we got much choice, eh?"

"Shouldn't we stay close to the river, though?" Rarity whined, tapping her hoof lightly on the cave floor. An ambient humming that filled up the corridor overshadowed any kind of clacking from her hoof beat. She looked over her shoulder back to the river, which had nearly disppeared from view. "I mean, the others must've fallen into it and gotten washed up somewhere! Going _here?_ It just makes no sense! This...it's a terrible idea!"

"Only way yer gonna be followin' that there river is by takin' a dip," Applejack said. "And ah' don't think that'd be a particularly good idea neither." Rarity remembered just how ferocious the waves looked, and hesitated.

"I...I suppose you're right," the unicorn relented, looking at the ground. "But this is...! It's just...so...! How are we...?" Applejack looked over to her friend.

"Ah'm worried about em' too, Rare. And ah' wish we had more choices," Applejack said, keeping her head up. "But fer right now, we just gotta trust Pinkie. Unless you got some inklin' about where everypony is. Ah' sure don't." Rarity gave another rather dramatic huff. "Look, ah' know things look bad, but we just gotta keep goin' fer now, okay? We'll find em' sooner er later."

"I found em'! Sooner than later! They're right over here!" Pinkie sang from the distance. She had hit a big, crystal studded wall that prevented her from going directly forward. However, two paths branched out to both the left and right. Pinkie's head swayed as she gave detailed, scholarly looks at both her options, nodding to herself. At the sound of Pinkie's discovery, Applejack and Rarity both sprinted over to the wall with astonished looks on their faces. By the time they reached the wall, Pinkie had already made a mad dash for the left, her legs whirling like pinwheels in a gale. Before Applejack and Rarity could even look in Pinkie's direction, though, the hyperactive earth pony came rocketing back out from the way she had chosen, now bolting for the right path. "Oopsie! My bad! They're actually just this way! Riiiiight over this way!" She said very quickly. Her words trailed away, carried off by her distance and the humming sound in the air. Rarity and Applejack turned their heads in unison to the left corridor. Almost immediately in that direction was an obvious, glaring dead end. Applejack gave a nervous chuckle as Rarity made a move to bang her head against the hardest thing she could find. She stopped herself at the last second, though.

"You said things looked bad, Applejack? You couldn't possibly be more correct..."

Twilight jerked awake at the feeling of cold water washing over her hind legs. She leapt up in surprise as the icy waves lapped over her, and she landed hooves first on solid rock beneath her. Looking around and shaking out her damp fur, she saw plenty of dry land in front of her. She was located on a moderately sized islet made of black rock. The islet was featureless, save for sparsely placed stalagmites and little bumps in the terrain. Looking up, Twilight saw that the room she was in climbed high. The ceiling looked to be about as tall as the sky, certainly stretching higher than the tallest buildings in Ponyville or perhaps even Canterlot. Patches of vaguely yellow light seeped in through cracks and holes in the walls, which all seemed to be miles away. The rays of light bounced off the flowing water from the river behind Twilight, which curved around the islet and crashed down further below. Twilight would've looked around a bit more, if she hadn't spied a hunched Rainbow Dash settled over Fluttershy's unmoving frame. Twilight rushed over to see the frightened pegasus pushing on her friend's stomach. Her eyes were scrunched up while her wings and mane drooped, either out of anxiety or due to being utterly soaked.

"C'mon...c'mon Fluttershy! Wake up!" Dash begged, bringing her face down, closer to Fluttershy's. The limp pegasus' mouth was agape, and her eyes were shut tight. Her chest didin't appear to be moving an inch.

"What's wrong with her?" Twilight found herself blurting out. She coughed, spitting up a bit of water that had found its way into her throat. She angled her head to get a look at Fluttershy's face. "I-is she okay? How long has she-"

"I-I don't know!" Dash stammered, desperate for an answer. "I've been here a few minutes, and she's-" Dash was unable to finish as she felt her front legs sink into Fluttershy's stomach. The lying pegasus wheezed, her chest expanding as she shot out a spout of water from her mouth. Dash's head was now even more soggy, her once spiky mane stringy and flopping into her eyes. Streams of water dribbled form the ends of her bangs, dripping onto Fluttershy's chest as she drew in giant breaths. Her blue eyes were now wide and staring at Rainbow Dash, who smiled feebly. "...Just fine, apparently."

"R-rainbow Dash..." Fluttershy croaked, sitting up and unknowingly flinging Dash off her. The pegasus effortlessly caught herself, flipping over and lying down to look at Fluttershy joyously. "D-did...did I get you all wet? I'm sorry..." Fluttershy burbled weakly, but Dash merely laughed in relief. Twilight couldn't help but take a breath of much-needed relaxation as well.

"Hey, hey! Don't you worry about that!" Dash said, her voice almost hysterical, cracking with every word. As soon as she saw Fluttershy shifting around uncomfortably, though, she decided to calm down slightly. "I...I'm just so glad you're okay..."

"Wasn't I...? I don't remember a thing..." Fluttershy mused. She got up and tapped her hoof idly on the floor, taking in the immensity of the cavernous room.

"Neither do I," Twilight said. "All I can think of was...err...we were falling. That pony made the room collapse. And there was rubble everywhere, all over the place! I thought we were gonna-"

"Yeah, that lousy pony!" Rainbow Dash growled, grinding her hooves into the rock floor and clenching her teeth. Her mane bristled with fury, even though it was still spread out lazily. "Wonder what happened to her? On second thought, I don't even care! Maybe she got flattened? That'd serve her right..." Fluttershy flinched at the thought of a pony being crushed by ton after ton of falling rock..

"O-oh, you mustn't say things like that! I hope she isn't hurt..." Fluttershy began to say before Dash shot her an incredulous look. Fluttershy stammered and smiled awkwardly at this. "...T-too much, heh, heh..."

"Where is everypony?" Twilight asked to Rainbow Dash, who had turned away from Fluttershy in exasperation. She was putting forth a lot of effort, trying to get into the air. Her damp fur was weighing her down, making flight an impossible task. She shook vigorously, sending out a wave of water, and then flapped her wings to no avail. "Umm...you've been awake the longest. But you didn't see anypony else around, did you?"

"N-no! Just you two!" Dash strained, finally lifting her now somewhat dry body into the air. She grinned victoriously, flapping mightily. "Ha! Yes! But don't worry! I'll find em' all before you even know I'm gone!" Dash made a move to soar up to the top of the room, but was stopped dead by Twilight's piercing voice.

"Hold it!" Twilight shouted, flinging out a hoof. Dash huffed and hovered on down. "No splitting up! We're already separated as it is! If we're going anywhere, we go _together,_ got it?"

"Um, no offense Twilight," Dash said, squinting her eyes and spinning around to get a quick survey of the titanic cavern. "If we do that, it's gonna be morning by the time we find them! And, how're you gonna keep up with me, anyhow?"

"Well, it'll be easy if you stay slow," Twilight suggested. Dash guffawed, falling flat on her back wriggling her back legs..

"Ha! That's a good one Twilight!" Dash snorted. Twilight rolled her eyes at the pegasus' display. "Why don't you ask me to, I don't know, stop flying altogether while I'm at it? And in case you haven't noticed," Dash continued, getting up and biting her lip. "In this kinda place, 'staying slow' gets you a hoof in the face or a boulder on your head. Me going slow? Not happening."

"What? Are you suggesting splitting up _won't _get you a hoof in the face or a boulder on your head?" Twilight retorted, narrowing her gaze at Dash, who drew back a little, raising an eyebrow. "Look, all I'm saying is that we've got no idea what other things are waiting for us here. We've got to be as cautious as possible in a situation like this. What if you fly off and that pony from before ambushes you? We might not be able to help you! Do you really think you could take her all by yourself?"

"Course I could!" Dash said, smacking a hoof to her chest. "I was holding back before! It's not really cool to just go crazy out of the blue on another pony! But next time I see her, I'm cuttin' loose. No more Ms. Nice Dash!"

"We really should stay near each other, though. After all, we're really lucky that this many of us stayed together," Fluttershy said from far away. Her voice carried quite well in the cavern's acoustics. Her ears drooped a little, though, as she absorbed what she just said. "Oh my...oh my! Do you...do you think the others got separated, and they're all alone? That'd be-"

"Quite possible, unfortunately," Twilight said grimly directing her voice discreetly at Rainbow Dash. The pegasus was oblivious to Twilight's somewhat scolding words. "All the more reason we should make the best of what we have..."

"That river _was_ pretty nasty!" Dash said loudly, making an angry face at the flowing water cutting its way through the cavern. "I mean, what are the odds of the three of them just _happening_ to wash up on a shore somewhere?"

"You know," Rarity said matter-of-factly as Pinkie streaked past her and a fidgeting Applejack for the tenth time. "Our leaving the riverside was very counterintuitive, when you think about it. I mean, we probably could've stayed put and Rainbow Dash would've come looking for us sooner or later!" The ponies had been progressing through the twisting network of corridors and had just recently hit another wall. The tenth wall, that looked scarily similar to the ones before it. Pinkie galloping to the right after heading for the left available branch. For the tenth time.

"Oopsie! My bad!" she chimed over her shoulder before lowering her snout close to the floor. Again. For the tenth time. Rarity could only groan through her pained expression.

"Provided, of course, she's not knocked out somewhere."

"Oh, believe you me," Applejack scoffed, trotting after the merrily sniffing Pinkie Pie. "She'd go an' start flyin' around even if her lights were out." Rarity shrugged, picturing an unconscience Rainbow Dash randomly flying into walls, being carried through the air on autopilot.

"I certainly wouldn't put it past her, I suppose," Rarity admitted, following close behind Applejack. She gave a frustrated breath before squinting at the crystal studded walls. The humming had not ceased, making her head vibrate annoyingly. A very unpleasant soreness wrapped around her limbs and neck. Applejack and Pinkie were as energized as ever, but the unicorn found herself growing increasingly fatigued with every step. "But I still stand by what I say before! We should never have moved! Now we're hopelessly lost! You know, I can assure you, as soon as we hit another wall, which we will, the same thing will happen. The same thing...that's happened..._ten_..._times!_" Rarity was more or less shrieking at the top of her lungs as she stamped the ground, generating a burst of resounding clacks that temporarily overwhelmed the dull humming.

"Yer whinin' ain't helpin' things," Applejack said helplessly. She made a move to shelter her ears from the tremendous outburst from directly behind her. Rarity's bugging eyes gradually shrunk and, realizating her rashness, the unicorn controlled herself. She was now breathing very softly. Applejack threw a glance over her shoulder. "All calmed down now?"

"Y-yes...no...not one bit," Rarity said, her voice a drained monotone. "Perhaps if we had the tiniest bit of structure in what we were doing, then maybe..." Pinkie called out yet again from straight up ahead. The ponies had just followed a curve in the path, and before them was another prohibiting wall with two possible pathways. As always, Pinkie clambered for the left. She remained out of sight for just a few seconds before charging for the other way..

"Oopsie! My-"

"Bad!" Rarity roared, her composure shattering once more. The humming in the background became unnoticeable next to her fury. "Bad! This was a bad...a _horrible_ idea..." The unicorn moaned in regret as Applejack tossed her head and ran for the wall, trying to catch up with Pinkie. She shouted something inaudible as she went after her rambunctious friend. Unaware of Applejack's absence, Rarity pathetically turned her head to the right side of the corridor. Her eyes suddenly lit up, making the crystals glittering around her seem lifeless in comparison.

"Speaking of which, what were the odds of _us_ all washing up together?" Fluttershy said to herself. Twilight and Rainbow Dash had begun to explore the limited land around the islet, while she opted to stay put in the center. "I mean, I'm not complaining, but it's just so...lucky." Twilight drew very close to the river, but didn't dare try to cross it. It seemed docile enough, but she had no idea how deep it was.

"Luck had nothin' to do with it, Fluttershy!" Dash cheered. She rose into the air, flexing her front legs while sporting a cocky smile. "It's cause' I dragged you both up here! All by myself! Couldn't use my wings either! Too wet to fly! Had to do it the old-fashioned way!" The pegasus thrashed her head and neck around, making tugging motions while chomping down.

"Oh! Rainbow Dash...you're so awesome..." Fluttershy squeaked giddily, beaming up at her friend. Twilight smirked, tossing back her mane and staring across the river to another rocky islet.

"You know, it's really amazing that you didn't get knocked out like the rest of us," Twilight said. "You must be very hard-headed, Rainbow Dash."

"Yeah! I guess I am! Wait!" Dash caught herself, just figuring out that she was not accepting accolades. She landed firmly on the ground, now frowning. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Twilight giggled mischeviously at Dash's response. She whirled around to meet a rather peeved pegasus.

"I mean that in the nicest way I can," Twilight snickered. Dash rolled her eyes and slackened her jaw. "I'm just saying it's a good thing you can take a hit!"

"Then why didn't you just _say that?_" Dash groaned, annoyed Twilight's little laughing fit. "Honestly, Twi! I'd expect Rarity to say something like that or maybe even Pinkie! But you...? Wait...! You're not Pinkie Pie in disguise are you? Come clean! This is the sorta thing she'd pull!"

"You...that sounds like something Pinkie would say too...!" Fluttershy began giggling too. Her body quaked as she tried to hold back a tide of laughter. She began to hop around, flapping her wings and imitating Pinkie Pie's signature bounce. "Like, 'You somepony in disguise? Who're you? Come clean!'" Dash and Twilight both stared at the skipping and hopping Fluttershy as genuine smiles spread across their faces. Seeing the normally timid and shaken pony in such good spirits helped to raise their own. Dash began to stammer after her brief moment of repose, looking at Twilight urgently.

"U-umm, really, we should get moving a _little_ bit!" Dash pleaded. She rose higher into the air and clapped her front hooves together. Twilight kept her skeptical expression strong. "We don't have to leave this room or anything but...c'mon! I gotta move around!" Twilight had a silent eyeball-to-eyeball with Rainbow Dash before she relented, her firm stance withering a bit.

"Okay, okay. But we absolutely _cannot_ get separated, okay? That's not even an option!" Twilight ordered. Rainbow Dash nodded her head, her now spiky mane shuffling about eagerly. She did a loop in the air, dipping a short ways while staying close to Twilight. The unicorn made her way to a craggy fence of rock near an edge of the islet that wasn't flanked by the river. Looking over and downward, she saw that the land was elevated, and was really more of a cliff than anything. Gazing out to the expanse ahead, Twilight nearly fell over the edge as she spotted something very unusual.

"Ohhh...it's so...oh my...!" Rarity couldn't even form her excitement into proper words. She tittered lustfully as the spectacular sight so close to her. "N-never...in all my years!" She was baffled as to how Pinkie Pie and Applejack could just pass this by without comment. A large alcove lay next to Rarity. Ascending up to the tunnel ceiling, it was packed to the brim with the same crystals as always, although these were shining in a myriad of bright colors. However, this alone was not the sight that slowly drove Rarity into the alcove. Nestled among the web of crystals was a comparably smaller one, but it alone managed to dazzle Rarity with an unending spectrum of color. Little shards of silver and ruby red jutted out from the top of it, forming a tiny, yet brilliantly glowing, halo. Drool cascaded down Rarity's mouth as she pressed her nose up against the treasure. She was so far gone that she didn't even notice the humming around her had escalated to deafening levels. The droning was cut away, though, by Applejack voice calling out to Rarity. That familiar sound snapped the unicorn out of her stupor, returning her glimmering eyes and goofy, slack-jawed smile back to what they had been before. Jaded and frustrated.

"Hey Rare! We're takin' a break fer a while," Applejack shouted, running up to Rarity. Her flank was her only visble part to somepony on the main pathway. Reaching Rarity, Applejack turned her head to see the alcove. "Yer uh...you were lookin' pretty tired, so Ah' got Pinkie to..."

"Oh, so now we're taking rests, are we?" Rarity breathed, not turning around to face her friend. She was still eyeballing the crown-shaped crystal, which Applejack craned her neck to notice. "I appreciate the concern, but if we're going to charge in without thinking, we might as well stick with the 'plan' and keep charging, r-right? I'm f-fine..." Rarity began to speak nervously and with a false air of reasoning, as though she were trying to make a shady bargain. Applejack's keen eyes spied Rarity's horn glowing, and darted back to the crystal to see it enveloped in magic. She also saw Rarity's face screwed up in concentration, although the unicorn continued to talk as though her grunts of effort were unnoticeable. "A-and...oh come on, you stubborn...! Oh! We really don't have a-any time to waste resting, e-eithe-"

"Rare, is this really the time fer gem hunting?" Applejack said flatly. The unicorn's body shivered as she jerkily turned her head to face Applejack. She was wearing a crooked smile and periodically tugged magically at the crown crystal. It was stuck tight in the earth, not budging one inch.

"Oh-ho-ho, Aaaaaplejaaaack!" Rarity cooed, giving another great tug of her horn. The crystal squirmed a little bit, but did not remove itself. As the unicorn applied more magic, the omnipresent humming became more discordant, but actually grew softer. "I am not _gem hunting,_ as you called it! I'm merely...ergh, would you _please...?_ U-um...I'm merely trying to inject some stability into this little...e-excursion of ours!"

"Stability?" Applejack repeated, at a loss for words. "What're you sayin'?"

"Oh, would you quit being daft?" Rarity spat at the crystal, which moved a little bit more, but still refused to come out. The unicorn whipped her neck around to the concerned Applejack once again after she realized the tone of her voice. Her crooked grin returned. "N-not you, Applejack! And...a-and what I mean is...I have an idea that will give...us...some..._security!_" Rarity shook with all her might. Her horn felt as though it would explode with the amount of magic she was charging it with. Her white face had gone beet red as she puffed out her cheeks and heaved. Her magic finally did the job, though, as the crown crystal floated, shooting out of the ground with a loud pop. The humming came to an unearthly halt as Rarity smiled proudly, levitating her prize up to her head. She placed the petite, beautiful crystal softly behind her ear and at last turned her entire body around to be face to face with Applejack. She noticed that Pinkie Pie was also at Applejack's side.

"R-rare.." Applejack stammered, her eyes growing wider and her ears flattening as she noticed the bizarre silence. The humming hadn't exactly been comforting, but its sudden disappearance made Applejack cross her front legs in unease. "What exactly are you plannin'?"

"Oooh! That's a pretty fancy find you got there, Rare!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, clambering over to Rarity and gazing at the crystal in the unicorn's still moist mane. Pinkie's eyes reflected the crystal as Rarity swelled with importance.

"Why, thank you, Pinkie Pie," Rarity said charismatically. "At least _somepony_ can appreciate the beautiful things! I have to admit, this cave _is _full of them! I take back all the bad things I was thinking about it! Now then...as for my plan, let's face it, this whole _wandering _thing is bound to get us into trouble, right?" Applejack nodded blankly, while Pinkie Pie just continued to get an eyeful of Rarity's new crystal. "So I was thinking, I'll yank out a crystal for all of you! Put them into your manes, and if we get separated for some reason, I can track you down easily with my dowsing magic! Simple, but actually sensible, right? We've got to proceed with caution, after all, if we've no idea where exactly we're proceeding to-"

"Hi there!" Pinkie Pie had wrenched her eyes away from Rarity's mane. She was now waving in the direction of the alcove. Rarity and Applejack both shifted themselves to see what she was referring to. In the spot that the crown crystal had once adorned, a yellow crystal had emerged. It appeared to be scrambling around on thin, glass spider legs. The light that it had been discharging focused into four tiny dots on the front of it. A small crack formed on the base, eventually circling around to cover the entirety of it. "What're ya doin' lil' guy?" Pinkie babbled in baby talk. She began to approach the bizarre, mobile crystal, but as soon as one of her hooves hit the ground, the crystal split in two at the midsection, revealing a hideous row of glass teeth. A heart rending screech that sounded like rusted, scraping metal ripped across the silent air. Rarity and Applejack backed away, slowly. Pinkie Pie outdid them, though, by flat out jumping so high that her curly mane bounced off the ceiling. The little gem creature turned to the walls of the alcove and continued to scream. As it did, the crystals began to fall out of the walls. One by one, they grew spidery legs and opened their own cracks of mouths to join the singular gem creature in a demonic chorus of screaming. Applejack's eyes were wide with fear, while Rarity was trying to cover her ears. Soon, all the crystals in the alcove had removed themselves from their home, and were now skittering about, crawling over each other to form a monstous, spiny tower. Now as tall as the ceiling, the conglomeration of creatures all turned their glowing eyes to Rarity before hissing angrily. The unicorn gulped in response.

"Is is too late to take back my take back?"

Twilight gestured to Dash and Fluttershy, who huddled up next to her. The lower levels of the cavern were composed of small beaches. Sand and silt were carried off by the river, which branched in a multitude of directions. Tiny brown speckles seemed to dot the beaches further away, and large, lumpy boulders were strewn across the sand. Directly in front of the cliff edge, ambling on one of the nearest beaches, was a tall, brown pony. It was facing away from the trio, but it appeared to be male from the body shape and bulk. Fluttershy spoke up after clearing her throat.

"Do you think it's another pony who came here and got lost?" Fluttershy asked to Dash. The hovering pegasus shrugged.

"Dunno, but knowing the ponies we've come across so far, he'll probably want trouble," Dash said. She straightened up in the air and thrusted her front legs forward, as though she were boxing somepony. "If he wants a fight, though, he'll get one!"

"You really shouldn't just assume that," Fluttershy said quietly. She turned from her aloft friend to the brown pony in the distance. "Maybe he's just wandering around with nopony to help him! Do you think he's okay?"

"W-well, I can't say," Twilight murmured. She was tilting her head and neck all over the place, squinting her eyes. She was trying to get a better look at the somewhat blurry pony. The unicorn scoured for a very important feature that would tell her whether or not the pony could be approached. "I'd stay away, maybe? But he might..."

"U-umm...I don't think we should just leave him alone," Fluttershy said firmly. She flew up and cleared her wet throat once more. "H-hello? Do you need some help? Are you lost?" The pony didn't respond, instead lowering his head and shaking out his body. Twilight continued to squint and threw her front legs over the rocky edge of the cliff. Fluttershy raised her voice a little. "Hello? Are you okay there?" The pony still didn't move much. Dash coughed, crossing down to Fluttershy and patting her shoulder.

"Okay, maybe he's hard of hearing, Fluttershy," Dash said. "So in other words, you gotta step off. I'll handle this." Dash stiffened her bac and cocked her head in the direction of the lone pony. However, just as she began to shout, Twilight noticed something that made her heart leap into her chest. Lines. Very faint pink lines that were carved into the brown pony's body. She was leaning so far over the cliff edge that she nearly tumbled down to the river below.

"Hey you! What're you doin' down here all-"

"No! Stop, Rainbow Dash!" Twilight leapt over to the pegasus, grabbing her neck and weighing her down, bringing a surprised Fluttershy with her. Dash's much louder and grating voice got the pony's attention, and he whirled around to face what he had just heard. He was looking at the cliff, but saw nopony. Twilight had managed to bring Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash down behind the fence of rock just in time to avoid being seen. Peeking her head up, Twilight saw the still staring brown pony. His mane was styled into a mohawk, and his mouth was held ajar. He scanned the horizon, searching for the source of the disruptive voice. Gasping at his unsettling face, Twilight saw that he was looking with black, empty eye sockets. It was as though his eyes had been scooped out.

Twilight also noticed that as soon as the brown, line-covered pony turned around, the boulders that lay upon the shore had begun to unfurl and move about. Twilight just realized that they had the exact same color scheme as the brown pony, right down to the lines etched into them. Those boulders quickly gained shape. The shape of ponies. Looking even further out, the brown speckles that covered the lower floor of the cavern were moving sluggishly. Hundreds of identical brown ponies were occupying the beaches, all of them keeping that macabre, zombie-like gait and the same noiseless, screaming face. Dash and Fluttershy brought their heads to the same level as Twilight. It didn't take them long to notice just how surrounded they were by the army of plodding ponies.

"They're...e-everywhere!" Dash whispered, trying to keep her voice hushed. The singular brown pony had gone back to ambling along the beach, hanging his head. "Wh...what _are_ they?"

"They've...they've got to be ponies, I think?" Fluttershy whimpered, grabbing hold of Dash's midsection. "But...they look a lot like that other pony we saw? Do you think they're related or something...?" Both Dash and Fluttershy looked at Twilight, expecting her to give an answer. She just sighed.

"Big family..."


	6. Chapter 5

The sound of grinding crystal ravaged the tunnel. The crystal beast, now a gigantic amorphous blob of shards, bellowed and flung sharp fragments of its body as it chased the three ponies relentlessly.

"Rare! What was all that...bout' bein' rational?" Applejack chastised between heavy pants as she galloped desperately. Rarity was hot on Applejack's hooves, but still trailing behind the other two ponies as she gasped. She ducked at the sound of a crystal lance flying past. It narrowly missed the back of her head as it traveled down the long corridor. "What're you thinkin'...? Yankin' out stuff...you don't know-"

"H-how was _I _supposed to know this would happen?" Rarity squealed, jumping fearfully as the crystal beast extended a thick tentacle made of pointy shards. It took swats at Rarity, who was now engaging in a deadly game of jump rope as she stumbled forward. "I was only trying to make sure...we had...security!" Applejack gave a vexed scoff as the winding tunnel began to turn. Looking ahead, Pinkie Pie remained far ahead of the ponies. She looked a sight, her head still low to the ground as her limbs twirled sloppily.

"Yeah, an' that crystal bein' a mite twinkly din't have a _thing_ to do with it!" Applejack yelled back at the gasping pony, who's stamina was noticeably fading. Her face was flushed red, and her eyes were reduced to cracks. The looming wave of crystal creatures issued a grating shriek as it formed another, larger tentacle made of razor shards.

"I-it...! I needed to...give it...a good home! ...O-on a dress...or tiara...or..." Rarity wheezed, oblivious to failed to the incoming tendril swipe aimed at her legs. Applejack gasped, darting to Rarity quick as a wink and grabbing her by the neck. She hoisted the spent unicorn up onto her back and increased speed. Shr managed to avoid the whip, which slammed into a wall. The shock shook the cave's foundation, and the creature wailed as its arm shattered into billions of pieces. The drizzle of harmless sparkles pummeled Rarity and Applejack as they to look at the creature. It wriggled its shapeless body in immense pain, flailing a stump of a tentacle. It drew back a little, quivering and rippling grossly.

"What...what's it..." Applejack spat, trying to catch her breath. Rarity provided little burden to her strong back, but her overexertion from the run made her lungs feel like lumps of lead. Rarity swished her head around placidly, but leapt off Applejack as more crystals embedded in the sides and ceiling uprooted themselves. They homed in on the spiraling unicorn, missing her by inches. However, the crystal creatures weren't aiming for Rarity. Instead, they propelled past her, integrating themselves into the main mass.

"R-run...for your life!" Rarity screamed as she did just that. Applejack didn't even question this as the crystal blob lurched forward, threatening to consume her in a sea of spines. They kept running, but felt like stopping in despair at the sight another dead end with two left and right branches. Pinkie was nearly there, but the wall was far enough from the other two ponies to stay shrouded in shadow. The monster gave another loud shriek before hurling a lance of jagged crystal at the fleeing ponies. It sailed over Applejack's head, skimming her hat. Although it was aimed directly at Pinkie Pie, the pony knew it was coming and bounced high into the air. She rode the flying spear like a surfboard, twisting and turning freely until it lodged itself into the wall ahead.

"Woo-hoo! That was wild!" Pinkie said, her eternally chipper attitude not dented in the least. She hopped off the lance and did a pirouette, twirling gracefully around another bundle of thrown javelins. "I'd say 'let's do it again,' but I dunno if I'd make it! Oh wait...I totally just said it...hee, hee!" As the panicked Rarity and Applejack ran towards her with reckless, terrified abandon, the dancing pony got back down on her hooves and charged for the left corridor, making a tweeting bugle noise. Rarity's shrieking blared over the scraping of the oncoming crystal wave.

"It's never to the left! There's never _anything _to the left!" Rarity howled, flailing around and falling down. She slid on her stomach, clouds of dust forming behind her before smacking into the wall. She was dazed, anxiously looking from left to right. Her vision was shaky, but upon rattling her head and clearing it, she noticed both directions led to dead ends. She squeaked and tried to scramble back up to her hooves.

"Well, I'll be!" Applejack said, stopping at the fallen unicorn's side. "Looks like this here cave _don't_ go on forever!"

"Yes, marvelous! Except we're hopelessly trapped!" The unbalanced unicorn said viciously, her voice hoarse. Rarity was so stirred up that her attempts to rise resulted in her tripping over her legs like they were wet noodles. Applejack huffed impatiently and chomped down on the scruff of her friend's neck. She hurled the pony over to the left and then leapt over there herself, avoiding the rampaging mass behind her. The creature groaned as it met the wall with the force of a charging bull, shattering its entire blob of a body and sending an earthquake across the room. Crystal fragments flew through the air, grazing Applejack's ribs and cheeks. She backed away as fast as she could without stumbling, making for Rarity to help her up. The frazzled unicorn sighed, thankful but stressed. Predictably, her moment of rest did not last before she turned to yell at Pinkie Pie. "As I said, there's _nothing_ to the left! When has there ever been?"

"Well, it ain't like there's anythin' to the right, neither," Applejack said. She was looking nervously at the convulsing pile of splintered crystals. "Save fer that train wreck, a'course." The creatures were screeching hideously as they attempted to reform, climbing and leaping over one another all while blinking sad yellow lights. Pinkie Pie was hopping happily, completely ignoring the livid unicorn screaming at her. Instead, she would sniff the impeding, new wall, and then nod her head with such speed that her eyes wobbled. Pinkie dropped to her rump, giggling.

"Gee-hee! We're real close now! So, so, so close I can't even tell ya!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, her eyes still whirling. Rarity frowned, an eye twitching as she looked around the nook the ponies had relocated to. She gulped as she realized it too was packed full of crystals. "Except...I can tell ya! They're right next to us! Don't know why I thought I couldn't tell ya! Who made up that expression anyways? They weren't thinkin' straight!"

"Pinkie, th-that is a wall, in case you were unaware!" Rarity said as she trembled with fright. The mere sight of those idle yellow spots glowing serenely in the walls made hot dread bubble up in her gullet. "U-unless one of our friends somehow_ transformed_ into a pile of r-rocks...we're...!"

"Get down!" Applejack yelled, running over to Rarity, grabbing her neck, and bringing her to the floor. At Applejack's exclamation, Pinkie shrugged absently and began to break dance. In her panic, Rarity hadn't seen that the crystals had started trembling, wrenching themselves from the wall. They blasted through the air, some flying a great distance, while others hit the ground and skittered towards the spasming pile of shattered remains. Slowly it began to recover, bolstered by the new addition of crystals. The mass of creatures hissed, countless tentacles of shards thick as pythons whipping around. It grabbed hold to the sides of the cavern nook and reshaped itself, shedding shards as it did. It was now an enormous, pulsating wall of spikes that spanned the entire nook's entrance. It gave out another hiss before it began to advance on the trapped friends. Applejack ran for the back wall, bracing against it as Rarity did the same. Pinkie was spinning on her head, but ended her break dance by crossing her front legs and sticking out her lower lip.

"Word," she said deeply as she straightened back up. She looked to see her friends cowering in dismay. Rarity's eyes were watering as she closed them tight, not wanting to watch the wall of cold spikes creep closer. Pinkie laughed, slapping a hoof on the ground. "Aww, come on! Did you guys miss all that? I seriously practiced that dance last night!"

"P-pinkie...can't you see we're doomed?" Rarity whimpered. She was right on the edge of bawling as she creaked an eye open. The wall of spikes was even closer than before. It had already covered half the area of the narrow nook. "Th-this...can't be the end..."

"Now, now sugar cube! Don'tcha be talkin' like that!" Applejack said to the distraught unicorn. She turned, staring at the advancing wall. She gave a loud cough. "Though...though ah' don't know how we're gonna get outta this...r-right now! Ah'll thinka...a somethin'..." Pinkie widened her eyes at the dangerously close crystal wall and snorted.

"Oi, ugly! Your momma's made of cubic zirconia!" Applejack's jaw fell upon slightly as she turned her head to the glaring Pinkie Pie. The crystal wall halted, giving a baffled cross between a grunt and a roar.

"Wh-what...? Don't follow ya, Pinkie..." Applejack murmured. Pinkie didn't break eye contact with the spikes.

"Ch-cheap! I called it cheap!" Pinkie said matter-of-factly through gritted teeth. "Or, I guess I called its momma cheap! Also, your momma's fat! Really, really fat!" The wall of jagged spines faltered, shuddering and rippling like windy seas. It gurgled, issuing a very low, very angry growl as the spikes retracted ever so slightly. It had stopped advancing completely, and had begun to revert to its amorphous form. Rarity, astonished, opened both her eyes.

"What? What are you doing Pinkie Pie?" Rarity said, her eyes darting over to the swirling blob of gleaming crystal. Shards poked out everywhere as it loomed up to the ceiling and flared its tentacles. She whimpered again."D-don't make fun it! What're you-"

"Oh, and she's ugly! Like you! Fat, ugly and cheap! I guess that makes her a-" Pinkie continued to berate the crystal beast before it snapped. Roaring and losing any semblence of solidity, it lashed out at the ponies. Applejack and Rarity shouted as Pinkie Pie smirked, the wave of feral crystals spreading over the back wall. It hit the rock with such power that it sent the ponies free-falling into empty air.

The crumbling stone wall gave way with a sound like a deafening cannon blast, crushing the silence of the cavernous room the three friends were spiralling into. They saw, miles below them, a gorgeous network of flowing rivers cutting through black pieces of land and tracts of sandy beach. The features below grew closer and detailed as the friends plummeted further. The initial, overwhelming crash of the wall being destroyed had been replaced by ponies wailing. Applejack and Rarity were screaming in terror as the ground drew closer, whereas Pinkie was yelling in delight, as though she were on a roller coaster ride. She flapped her front legs, but she only picked up more speed on her descent.

Just as it seemed as though the ponies would hit the ground with a fatal splat, a blue blur whipped out of the air. A shout was heard as it tossed a purple figure it had been carrying safely onto a rocky island below. After making the deposit, it sped upwards, homing in on Applejack. The now hatless earth pony felt something clamp down on her neck before her vision was torn away from the awaiting ground. The sudden speed boost made her feel as though her stomach had jumped into her throat. She shut her eyes tight, not wanting to view the dizzying spree of brown and other unpleasant colors melding together as she went faster. Rapidly flowing air smashed into her stomach and threatened to knock the wind out of her before she finally was let down on her back. Something rough and solid was below her. Solid ground, she figured, and pleaded as she opened her eyes. Indeed it was. Solid, black rock with a very welcome face looking down at her.

"R-rainbow..." Applejack said weakly, but fondly. She shut her eyes in haste, though, as the light and colors of the room had yet to settle down. "Ya...ya really saved me..."

"Course' I did! It's not like I couldn't see you or anything!" Dash said. Applejack opened her eyes again to see the pegasus smiling big. "I mean, that sound was super loud, and it's kinda hard to miss ya you're so bright!"

"Heh...reckon that's the first time somepony called me that," Applejack chuckled. She responded to the pegasus with her own little grin. Shaking, she got up and felt her bare head. Her pupils dilated as she felt again. Mane. Nothing but blonde, somewhat sweaty mane. She choked. "My...my hat! Where'd it...?"

"Offver heeere!" Fluttershy mumbled, her voice muffled past recognition. She was straining, her wings flapping as fast as a hummingbird's as she held Pinkie Pie by the scruff of her neck. She tensed her muscles, barely keeping herself and Pinkie Pie aloft. Applejack's hat was safe on Fluttershy's head, lopsided and covering up one side of the pegasus' face. Applejack sighed in relief. "It'sff offver heeere!" Fluttershy teetered over the river before reaching Applejack and Dash. She let Pinkie Pie go and landed herself, sputtering on a mouthful of pink fur and letting the hat drift down. Applejack dove for it, catching and cradling it before donning it.

"Ha! Knew you all would end up coming to us!" Twilight said triumphantly, standing on the edge of the island. She levitated Rarity safely downward, but the landing unicorn's limbs were stiff as boards, and she fell over onto her side when Twilight released her. "What was that about, 'We've gotta go find em'!' or something?" Dash scowled as Rarity stood up, staring fearfully at the gaping hole in the wall. Crystals were pouring out of it, falling to the ground with echoing clinks or hitting the waterways with tiny plops. Twilight barely had time to examine the frozen unicorn before a large tentacle of broken crystal shot out of the water.

Both unicorns jumped back in fright as the tentacle swiped blindly at them. Another one soonn popped out of the rushing river, and then another, and yet another. A gurgling roar came from deep below the river water before the corroding remains of the gem creature burst out from beneath the glassy surface. It shook its tattered body, splashing the rocky island with a shower of water and crystal pieces. It appeared to be shedding parts of its ruined body, which mindlessly scampered back to rejoin as soon as they left. It dragged its massive bulk onto the island, with no less than ten tendrils flailing angrily. Its blob body formed a tremendous, hateful, seething face with an open maw of cracked crystal. The sick yellow sheen issuing from it glowed brighter before the creature cried out, belching copious amounts of fire from its newly composed mouth. The flames wrapped around into a ring that covered the edges of the island, allowing zero escape. The ponies gathered to the middle of the island, quivering.

"There's a new trick," Applejack laughed nervously. Twilight, who was hugging the pony for safety, turned to her incredulously.

"So that thing's been following you?" she gasped. "For how long? Why?"

"Figure ya might wanna ask _Rare_ that," Applejack said, shooting an annoyed glance at Rarity, who had swiftly pulled in her curly tail away from the flames. She managed to save it from being toasted.

"H-how can you blame me for this mess?" Rarity exclaimed. She was quick to cover up the crown crystal in her hair with a hoof. "We were just randomly attacked! Out of nowhere!"

"After ya went an' took somethin' ya shouldn't have!" Applejack spat. Rarity's hoof twitched slightly, but remained up by her ear. "Ain't it time ya went and returned it?"

"W-well, I was going to...b-but we were being _chased _and..." Rarity reasoned, attempting to justify herself. As she talked, she reluctantly brought her hoof down and went to levitate the crystal away from behind her ear, complying with Applejack's prying eyes. The glare cast from the shifting treasure only elicited a furious screech from the creature. It spat out another volley of flame, intensifying the heat and increasing the fire's height. The ponies gasped, frightened by the wall of flames, except for Fluttershy. She stood ahead of the tangled group, tilting her head up at the towering, fire spouting visage. Her face didn't have a hint of fear or worry. Rather, she looked perplexed.

"F-fluttershy! G-get back, now!" Dash yelled to Fluttershy. The pegasus paid her friend no heed, walking forward instead. She showed no concern about the torrent of flames licking her pink mane and tail, charring them slightly. Instead, her eyes narrowed at the enormous beast.

"Y-you...poor thing! What's the matter? What's got you so upset?" Fluttershy cried. Her voice was soaked with pity as she looked into the beast's glowing, piercing yellow slits of eyes. The instant Fluttershy spoke to it the monster's wild glare vanished. Its mouth fell open wide, the broken, vicious spikes of teeth bouncing up and down as it bawled grotesquely. The flame ring began to die down, eventually tapering off to an ashen circle. Fluttershy flew up to the middle of the creature's face, patting it tenderly as it blubbered. "There, there...no tears now. Just go on and tell me everything." The creature did so by gibbering, shaking weirdly and grunting on occasion. The other ponies looked on, stupefied by the sight, but Fluttershy just continued to massage the outer layer of broken crystals, nodding in gentle comprehension. "Oh...oh! That's awful! Please don't use that word! Okay...meanie...mean unicorn? White unicorn, huh? Took your...mommy? You want your mommy! Oh! I get it now! I'm so, so sorry! You must be worried sick!"

Fluttershy flitted over to Rarity. The unicorn was cowering, but had managed to levitate the crystal out from behind her ear. The pegasus snatched it up in her mouth as Rarity gave out a shrill squeak. She pouted, kicking up dust as Fluttershy flew back over to the slumped creature, presenting it with the crown crystal. It immediately chimed, glimmering brightly and extended a careful tendril, scooping the crystal away from Fluttershy. It patted her on the head, and she giggled as its once gaping frown morphed into a gigantic, goofy smile. The creature smiled for a bit before leaving the ponies behind, quietly slinking away into the river without a trace. Fluttershy sighed contently, waving goodbye and landing. Everypony ran over to her.

"Fluttershy! Is everything okay? It didn't hurt you, did it?" Dash said, belligerent ad looking the pegasus over from head to hoof. Fluttershy grinned politely in response.

"No, they're really sweet things! They're just so protective and...well, they could use a little anger management," Fluttershy replied.

"But...your mane is," Rarity pointed out. Fluttershy shrugged as she noticed the blackened ends of her hair. "Oh...! I'm sorry I caused all this..." Applejack beamed at the hunched unicorn.

"So now we got another rule," she recited. "No touchin' shiny stuff. Er anythin' fer that matter."

"Good plan," Twilight said, rolling her eyes in annoyed understanding.

"But, I don't get it!" Pinkie said, raising an eyebrow. She bounced around the circle of reunited ponies. "Why didn't the big dumb beastie just _take _its mommy? Rare was practically throwing it at him!" Fluttershy laughed awkwardly.

"Yes, well...it umm, doesn't really like Rarity very much," Fluttershy explained, not looking at the unicorn in question. "S-sorry Rarity. It umm...well, I won't say what it called you..."

"Before we make more mistakes, why don't I add a third rule to the mix?" Rarity said flatly, staring directly at Fluttershy. "No keeping secrets. Don't break the rules, now. What did it say about me?" Her question was more of a command, but Fluttershy just stammered softly.

"Uhh, o-oh...I really shouldn't say..."

"Tell me! We've had this kind of stand-off before, Fluttershy. I think we all know how it's set to end."

"It...called you a meanie!" Fluttershy declared, her eyes twitching. "And nothing else. A-at all..." Rarity kept staring in discontent.

"Hey, am I the only one who's glad that we're all back together?" Dash cut in, ending the confrontation. "I mean, I guess it's kinda good that thing busted the wall! How else were you guys gonna get through?"

"Oh? So all the visitors have assembled, have they?" a haughty, completely unknown voice rang out. The ponies turned in various directions, scanning the horizons of the massive room.

"Who's that? Show yourself!" Twilight barked. Her legs tensed up as she dropped lower to the floor.

"Why don't you look up, lout?" the voice came again, as bossy as before. Everypony turned their heads skyward. A dark green unicorn with an untidy blue mane and square glasses hovered in the air, looking disdainfully down at the ponies. A lighter green mantle with frilly lace was draped over her shoulders, fluttering lazily. She was smirking scornfully as she looked over to the giant hole in the wall. She clicked her tongue. "Goodness. Look at all the work you've made for me. I hope you're all proud of yourselves, because I'm certainly not."

"Huh. Well would you look at that, girls? A flying Rarity," Rainbow Dash scoffed. Both Rarity and the unknown pony growled in unison. Dash suddenly did a double take. "Wait. _Flying?_ You're a unicorn!" The pony snickered.

"Heeeey...how're you doing that without any wings?" Pinkie Pie chirped. She hopped eagerly. "You must teach me! I wish to flyyyyy! Hiiiigh! Hiiii!"

"Oh-ho-ho! Has the outside world truly fallen so far?" the unicorn laughed derisively, covering her mouth with a hoof. "This kind of magic is simple! Are you mocking me?"

"That kind of magic _doesn't exist,_" Twilight said firmly. She had taken a good look at the unicorn, and had begun to hesitate. She knew from experience that unicorn magic could endow a pony with working wings, but the unicorn had none. Her horn wasn't even glowing. Yet she hung and turned lazily in the air, smiling sardonically. "What're you trying to pull? What kind of trick is that?"

"Silly outsider! No tricks to be pulled here. Only magic. And as I said before, very basic magic at that. What, are you inept? Still struggling with elementary school spells?" Twilight nearly blew a gasket, seething at the laughing unicorn. She raised a hoof. "Now, now, little filly! No need to lose your head! But, where _are _my manners-"

"Long ways from here, ah'd wager," Applejack cut the unicorn off with a dull reply. The floating unicorn's laughter petered out.

"...Ahem. My name is Anima, and I'd be honored to know how everypony is enjoying their stay in the cave of forbidden magic?" The group looked around lazily, equal parts reserved and irritated.

"It's a dump," Dash said bluntly.

"It's horrid," Rarity snapped icily.

"Needs more cake!" Pinkie said happily.

"It's...okay," Fluttershy murmured, earning exasperated looks from her friends. Anima herself didn't hear the last bit, unaccustomed to Fluttershy's usual volume. She pushed her glasses up her snout.

"Really now," Anima said condescendingly. She shook a hoof at the group, floating haphazardly throughout. "Must you be so introverted? I am interested in how my guests are doing! Of course, you aren't really guests, so much as intruders..."

"Okay, you want an answer?" Twilight growled angrily, still shaken up over Anima's crack at her magical talent. "You can take your cave and shove it up...up...wherever you go and shove things!" Anima chuckled again, slightly taken aback by Twilight's flustered tone.

"Oh, are you still riled up? Really, that whole manner about your ineptitude was a crack! A joke! No, I know what you're capable of. All too well," the unicorn raised a hoof before slashing it through the empty air. Oversized brown hooves sailed over the edges of the rocky island. Large, brown, soulless ponies climbed over the brink of the cliff, one by one shambling up to the group's level. Their slack-jawed faces staring at the startled six as they clambered. "After all, my mistress wouldn't have invited you here, were you not a valuable resource!" She pointed at Twilight before cackling, throwing her head back. "My servants! See to it that the purple one is taken below. Escort the other...hmm-hmm..._guests_ out the way they came. Act spryly, now, if you would!"

"What're...what're those?" Applejack choked, not expecting the sudden appearance of zombie-like ponies.

"Still tryin' to figure that out!" Dash said, taking to the air and shifting to Twilight's front.

"Th-they're all over the place, Applejack! W-way more than we can handle!" Fluttershy stammered, trembling in fear on the ground and covering her eyes.

"Servants...? What do you mean?" Twilight shouted at Anima, who kept slashing her front legs back and forth. She appeared to be conducting a band. More ponies appeared over the precipice, struggling bonelessly as they clawed at dirt and rock. Twilight shouted again. "What have you done to these ponies?"

"More lack of general knowledge I see," Anima chuckled, still waving her legs. The ponies rigidly got to their hooves, beginning to amble towards the huddled group. "I thought you were the intelligent one, and yet, you've never heard of a golem before?"

"Golems...? Golems!" Twilight shouted in realization. She was unaware that the brown ponies crept up from behind too. They now marched from all sides, forcing the friends to bunch up even closer. "That's right! Makes perfect sense now! I remember reading a bit about them!"

"This may not be the time for this," Rarity said anxiously. She felt her flank press up against Twilight's as she backed up away from the army of ponies. "But what, pray tell, is a golem?"

"A thing...well, a life form! Created with magic! Made out of clay, or rock, or something!" Twilight explained shakily. It was at this point she understood the friends were surrounded.

"Correct!" Anima declared. She swished her front legs down before smiling madly. "Yes! My forte, my special talent is creating these wonderful golems from the clay lurking below the river! They will serve me faithfully, without question, until the end of time! And speaking of which, yours is up!" Anima heartlessly swung her legs out. The front row of the army lurched forward in sluggish sync before half-running and half-limping at the group. Applejack, out of instinct, leapt forward and pummeled the nearest golem with two consecutive kicks. It toppled over backward into more golems behind it, knocking them over like dominoes. Applejack grinned before whirling around.

"They go down pretty easy, near as ah' can figure!" Applejack said gruffly as she lobbed another strong kick at a golem's chest. It fell back and hit the floor with the finesse of a sack of bricks. Golems near it merely blinked their hollow eyeholes at the sight before proceeding idiotically. Their rashness earned them another series of well placed kicks to the neck. "Permittin' ah' don't get all tuckered out!"

"Ha! How can ya?" Dash shouted from a far corner of the island. She flew circles around a golem wall, whipping up powerful, rainbow colored winds that disoriented them. She finished by zipping straight through the unorganized collection of ponies, knocking them on their flanks. She snickered as she caught the bewildered look on Anima's face. "Beating these lunkheads silly might just be my new hobby!"

"For every second I do not have cake, I shall hop on your head!" Pinkie Pie announced dramatically at a bemused bunch of golems in front of her. A second went by, and sure enough, the pink pony jumped into the air and landed square on top of a golem's head. She drilled it into the ground, but before the others near it could retaliate, another second passed. With ludicrous speed, Pinkie leapt up and homed in on a second golem's cranium. "Okay!" She said, her voice jiggling as she continued to bounce on more unsuspecting golems. "If I'm...gonna...go outta my mind...s-so are all you guys!" Another golem was bounced on, its mohawk mane crumpling. She ground the golem head into the dirt and waited another second. She noticed all the golems around her had been knocked out. "Seriously. When is somepony gonna get the clue that I _need_ sweets now? Not just want! Need! And not just now! _Right_ now!" A squished golem feebly tried to look up before getting another ferocious, pink hoof on the head. It made a bizarre burbling noise that sounded like pebbles grinding together. Pinkie's eyes widened, genuinely puzzled. "...Say what now...?"

A duo of golem ponies dove for Rarity. Applejack ran over to the unicorn, bellowing at the attackers.

"Git away from her, ya-"

"Now really, dearest Applejack," Rarity said nonchalantly as she magically lifted a couple of golems. She sighed, shaking her head matter-of-factly at the earth that tried to shield her. "Why _do_ you think I'm so fragile? You really should put more faith in me!" The unicorn exchanged a quick glance with Applejack before flinging the helpless golems into a shuffling crowd, bowling the entire lot over. Rarity smiled. "Oh, and behind you." Applejack heard rustling as she ducked, avoiding a clumsy hoof swipe from a golem. She kicked the wide open assailent in the stomach, sending it flying into the nearby river. The golem floundered as the water carried it to parts unknown.

"Why're they always behind...?" Applejack wondered out loud before noticing Rarity and Twilight making short work of the hordes. They routinely levitated the nearest golems before chucking them at further ones and sending them over cliffs or into the rapids. Anima dropped a little, her mouth open wide as she watched the friends effortlessly thrash her minions. She kept swishing her front legs diligently, and more golems poked their heads up from behind the cliff edge. However, the toiling servants kept getting dispatched by the magically hurled bodies of their fellows.

"Now this...this was unexpected," Anima said. She scratched at her mane cluelessly. "And here I thought the ponies outside had lapsed away from combat. How is it that you are all so...competent?"

"Combat? Are you hearing yourself?" Twilight laughed, lapping up Anima's disbelief like the sweetest nectar. "This isn't combat! It's just magic! And very basic magic at that! What, you inept or something?" Anima fumed before raising a front leg high. Her glasses flashed white, obscuring the bottom of her eyes.

"Fine. A simple change in tactics should resolve this," Anima grumbled to herself. She flashed a psychotic grin. "It always does! Landscape! Your master needs you!" Rapid hoof beats pattering like a snare drum echoed in everypony's ears. The sand on the beaches ruptured, flying everywhere in great clouds from the force of something ridiculously fast. Geysers of water splashed up high as something ran across the surface of the river. A breakneck brown blur sprang into view as it bolted at Twilight, who just barely caught sight of it and side-stepped. Fluttershy, who had been watching the battle from the center of the island flew straight up to avoid the blur. Now standing in the middle of the golem littered rock was the brown mare from earlier. Her hooves left deep indentations in the floor, and they were smoking. She fixed cold narrow eyes upon Twilight, and then Rainbow Dash, who was busy knocking a hapless golem upside the head.

"Master...the same ones from before...?" the pony breathed, heaving.

"Oh look! Cheater flank's back!" Dash chimed in as she drummed on a fallen golem's head.

"Troublesome bunch..." The brown mare said, her voice rough and low. Her head and shoulders twitched erratically as the pink veins covering her body pulsed with her words.

"My thoughts exactly!" Anima said, her haughty tone returning. She kept her mad grin, apparently off in her own little world. "But don't worry! I'm right here! Consider it advanced practice and everything will turn out fine. Oh, and this mission has special conditions, so listen carefully!" The ponies listened in on the banter. Nopony knew exactly what the enemies were babbling about as they continued to stave off the less than threatening, but plentiful, golems.

"Special...?" Landscape uttered, turning her eyes to Anima, who was directing more golems up to the island.

"Yes! The purple one, that pony right there!" Anima gestured to Twilight. Landscape saw the unicorn and nodded resolutely. "She's to be captured, _unhurt_, and delivered to Hertz, understand? I don't care what you do with the others..." Anima smirked evilly, her tongue hanging out slightly as she said this.

"Break...in...half..." Landscape said, snorting and glaring at Rainbow Dash. Her eyes actually reflected a shadow of anger.

"If you must! But remember, no harming the purple!"

"Whoa-ho! She serious?" Dash whistled while taking off, but not after smacking an approaching golem in the face with her back hoof. "And wait a sec! Who the heck's this Hertz?"

"Never you mind!" Anima said gleefuly, slashing a front leg horizontally. "You've got other things to worry about."

Dash didn't get far into the air. Landscape ran at her, fast as a speeding bullet. Chunks of rock soared upward as the ground beneath the mare's hooves cracked. Landscape clipped Dash's back legs, making her spin out uncontrollably. The pegasus screamed as she was flung diagonally up and away. Landscape did a u-turn and galloping after the next pony she saw, which was Rarity. The unicorn gasped and levitated two golem ponies in front of her as a makeshift wall. Landscape sensed Rarity's move, though, and bounded over her defense. She smashed into Rarity's chest with outstretched front legs. The unicorn rebounded off the hard floor and rolled away, stopping only after colliding with a wall of stalagmites. She groaned and clutched her side, which was now caked with dirt.

"N-no..." Fluttershy grimaced as she flew over to Rarity, but was forced to draw back as Landscape lashed out and almost clocked her with an aerial kick. The pegasus looked to the writhing Rarity and then whipped her head around, trying to find Rainbow Dash. She was nowhere in sight. Fluttershy whimpered, too scared to flap. "There's got to...got to be another way out of this..."

"Fluttershy! You ain't gonna fight then stay back!" Applejack yelled, galloping for the now grounded pony. Landscape charged at Fluttershy, who looked around for Applejack. "Find cover! Somethin' like that! Fluttershy!" Applejack couldn't reach her friend in time. Landscape roared and struck at Fluttershy with an earth-rending hoof. Or at least she would have, had her front leg not suddenly halted. Held in place by a pair of spiny, crystalline tendrils snaking out of the river, Landscape grunted and squirmed, trying to free herself. Fluttershy looked to the river's edge, noticing a reptillian head made of glistening, wet crystal poking out of the waves. It opened its mouth and winked at its recently made pegasus friend. Fluttershy nodded hastily as she scurried away from beneath the arrested brown pony. Landscape struggled hard to escape her bonds, but still failed to do so.

"No, I'm not gonna fight anypony!" Fluttershy said to Applejack, her voice adamant. A scarlet fireball began to form in the draconic crystal beast's open mouth. "But if _they_ want to...then, I'll look the other way." The pegasus glinted spitefully at the bound Landscape as she turned away, closing her eyes and covering her ears. A missile of flame spewed forth from the beast's mouth, roasting Landscape's fur and flesh. The pony golem wailed as she felt her clay skin boil to agonizing levels. Tears of anguish would be flowing down her face, but they evaporated into vapor the instant they left her eyes. In a pain-wracked stupor, she called upon hidden strength and broke the tentacles holding her in half.

The crystal beast was now the one howling in torment. The released Landscape zig-zagged over to the screaming dragon head and dove at it. She blasted right through, shattering the head into a fine mist of sparkling pieces. The shrieks of pain from the creature grew morbidly silent. Fluttershy winced and stammered as she saw the beast's remaining body grow limp and slide lifelessly back into the water. Landscape had landed on another stone island, but with a single, mighty jump, she leapt back to the area containing her target. Her body was steaming, and her breathing was reduced to a shrivelled rasp. The majority of her fur had been burned away, leaving behind large patches of bare, sizzled skin. Her black mane was also fried to a crisp, leaving her mostly bald. The pony ignored her tattered looks, however, lowering herself back into her fighting stance. Twilight wasted no time in levitating several limp golems, getting ready to hurl them with all she had at Landscape. As soon as she was about to, though, her magical grasp slipped at the sound of a piercing cry.

"W-waaaaait! Don't do that!" Pinkie screamed. Everypony turned to her, even Landscape and Anima. Pinkie was helping up the golem she had been stomping on a while ago. It shook its clueless head, but made no move to go after Pinkie Pie, or any of the other ponies for that matter. It just stood there, like the big rock it was. "N-no...no throwing. No more."

"Pinkie, yer startin' ta sound like Fluttershy!" Applejack spat, lowering herself into a battle position as well. She ran in front of Landscape, staring off with her. The ponies walked in a half-circle, waiting for the other to make the first strike. "Yer not gonna fight, go someplace else til' it's all over with!"

"No, see, we don't _have _to!" Pinkie Pie said happily. Fluttershy sighed with relief.

"That's good..." the pegasus said. She squinted oddly at Pinkie, who was wearing the usual goofy grin. "But...why not?"

"Look! I talked it over with Mr. Golem here, and he said it's totally cool if they step off for now!" Pinkie assured, nodding feverishly. These words even got Applejack's attention. Anima dropped slightly, her front legs hanging uselessly. Pinkie rubbed her mane, somewhat nervous by the fact that everypony's eyes were on her. "...They're tired of getting beaten up, anyway!"

"What? They don't talk, Pinkie!" Applejack said angrily. "Don't think they can!"

"You idiot!" Anima said, crossing her front legs. "She's...the earth pony's right! Golems cannot talk! They can't even _think!_ Why do you think they need me to order them around?" Pinkie laughed.

"Maybe that's why they're such bad servants! You can't even talk to them, so yeah! It must be hard giving them decent commands!" Pinkie kept laughing at the flabberghasted Anima, who's confusion quickly turned to rage.

"I-is she always like this? As I said, they cannot think! I assure you, if they could talk, I would know!" Anima was rambling in near incoherence at this point. "For goodness sake, I made them! I _know _how the things work! Don't you _dare _lecture me!" The golems shuddered collectively, but it was such a minor movement that it was barely noticeable. Pinkie gasped though, and a look of actual sadness spread over her face.

"H-hey...don't call them 'things,'" Pinkie murmured. Her poofy mane seemed to deflate a little as she observed the golem next to her. Its lifeless expression conveyed nothing, but Pinkie looked at it as though it were sobbing.

"How _exactly_ can you talk to them Pinkie?" Dash yelled from across the room. She was flying carefully back over to the island. Her feathers were quite ruffled, and her moves were unsteady. Everytime she flapped, Dash's entire body jerked a little. "I mean, they're rocks!"

"Silly! That's why I can understand em'! Remember where I grew up? Rock farm?" Everypony flinched a little. Twilight's eyes began to twitch. "Of course, the dialect's a little funny...and I'm a bit rusty on my pronouns...and-"

"I-is that...even possible?" Twilight said, dumbfounded but almost believing Pinkie Pie. She shook her head. "Besides, I thought that rock farm business was a joke!"

"Pfft! Why would I joke about that?" Pinkie said, sticking out her tongue. "I thought you all were interested in hearing about my fillyhood and how I got my cutie mark! But I guess everypony thought it was just a big joke! Thanks a lot!"

"Is this even relevant?" Anima snarled. She waved her front legs, and some golem ponies began to arise, while others were still out cold. The flying pony then slashed her front leg and Landscape crashed towards Applejack, who responded with a kick. The burnt mare ducked, and the two ponies began to brawl. Pinkie Pie turned to the golem next to her, who twitched and made a hideously low grumbling noise. The pink pony mimicked the noise, and added a few extra primitive grunts and groans.

"...Oh...sorry everypony! False alarm!" Pinkie Pie said, giggling. Without a change of tone or expression, she casually kicked the golem pony hard in the joints of its legs. The pony crumpled. "He just said they're gonna keep attacking again cause', umm, 'master said so!'"

Twilight rolled her eyes at Pinkie as Applejack flew past her. She skidded along the ground, nearly losing her hat again as she tumbled close to the river. Landscape dove for Twilight next, but was bombarded by some magically thrown golem ponies. Rarity had gotten back up. Though her left side was filty and starting to bruise, she retained her aloof air as she shot more golem ponies at Landscape. The mare dodged without too much difficulty, while at the same time anticipating Rainbow Dash dive bombing her from behind. She moved forward and kicked Dash in the face. She recoiled, but recovered instantly, circling the brown pony who now engaged in another duel with Applejack. Twilight looked on helplessly as Landscape kept dodging everything thrown at her and countering with powerful blows. It was at this time that she noticed the golem ponies has stopped moving. She turned upwards, fixated on Anima, who kept slashing her front leg horizontally. Everytime she did, Landscape made a move. The discovery made Twilight groan and smack herself in the face.

"Ugh...it's so obvious! Why didn't I see it?" Twilight gestured towards Rainbow Dash, who was eyeing Landscape like a hawk, looking for any vulnerability in her moves. "Dashie! Go for Anima! She made the golems, so she's also controlling them! Take her out and they'll stop!" Dash caught this and sped towards Anima. The pony had heard Twilight, and darted over to the side. Her magic flight was much less refined than Dash's, though, and she only narrowly escaped a direct hit. Still, Dash managed to nick her shoulder, tearing a piece of Anima's mantle to shreds. The pony groaned between clenched teeth and strafed to the side again, avoiding another attack from Dash. Landscape stammered and made a move to jump high and swat Dash away. However, she was stifled by several thrown golem ponies tossed by Rarity and Twilight. Applejack also rushed forward after the golem assault, further foiling Landscape's attempts to guard her master.

"Oh-ho! Going for the weak point, are we? Crafty!" Anima sneered as she raised her front legs to the heavens. A huge magical pulse shocked the air, forcing Dash to put space between Anima and herself. A tiny orb formed just above her skyward hooves. She looked down to the ground. "Consider your mission failed, Landscape. Best leave them to me, now." At the sound of "mission failed," Landscape looked crestfallen. She sat down abruptly, sending pebbles flying. She made no attempt to avoid Applejack's incoming kick, which knocked her over. She didn't groan or whine in pain as she fell with a hollow thud. Instead, Landscape just blankly stared at her master in the distance. Anima smiled insanely as the orb above her flashed bright white. "Now, witness this magic of mine! This flawless technique of golem creation!"

For once, Anima's horn emitted pale light. Streams of silt, rock, and clay billowed out from the many rivers below Anima. The earthy material meshed into a titanic shell around the flying pony, taking up a huge portion of the room. After gathering what must've been all the raw clay possible, the shell imploded as Anima waggled her hooves with skillful rapidity. Although the shell decreased in size, golem ponies began to emerge from the muddy orb. Rather, Anima was chiseling them out one by one. Soon, the mad pony was encased in an impregnable shell of newly created golems. They writhed about, knitted to one another. Dash descended out of pure surprise, but regained her composure and proceeded to ram the shell. Although she was travelling at the highest speed she could muster in an enclosed area, she failed to chip the layer of clay bodies. Anima had disappeared within the shell, but her low snickering could be heard, amplified through some means. The laughter exploded into a crazed cry as the golem ponies guarding the pony threw out their limbs, pelting the room with a storm of clay darts. Dash bobbed and weaved, but found the downpour of pellets beyond overwhelming. Among the chaos, she caught the sound of Twilight's voice calling her back to the island. Noticing a magically risen wall of black rock in the direction of Twilight's voice, Dash understood and retreated from the floating sphere.

Behind the temporary defense, Dash found all her friends gathered. She noticed Twilight and Rarity struggling to keep the wall up to protect against the cannonade, while Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were huddled over a drained Landscape. Dash figured Fluttershy the type to drag even an enemy to safety. Meanwhile, Applejack just frowned bitterly, staring forlornly at her back.

"Danggit! If I could jus' grow wings fer a couple minutes, ah'd show that no good mule what fer!" Applejack stamped an angry hoof.

"Ah, even if ya could, that thing's rock solid!" Dash admitted, taking a peek from behind the wall and almost getting speared through the eye by artillery fire for her efforts. She sighed, glancing at Twilight. "Pinned down doesn't even begin to describe things right now, Twi. Got any plans?"

"I'm...thinking..." Twilight said slowly, ensuring that the wall would endure salvo after salvo of hard hitting clay. She strained, scrunching up her eyes before shrugging. "I know...what we've got to do...but it's..."

"What? I'll listen to anything at this point!" Dash complained. Twilight twirled a hoof in Fluttershy's direction. She wasn't able to actually address the pony. Dash looked confused, tapping a hoof to her chin. "...Fluttershy?"

"You've gotta make the hit..." Twilight said through gritted teeth. A large clay round could be heard hitting the wall, and it made the unicorn shudder ominously. Rarity saw Twilight's stamina dwindling, and put more of her own magic into supporting the wall. Twilight broughther head up, grateful for the aid. "But before...Fluttershy's gotta carry me close...so I can rip a hole in that thing..." Twilight's breathing grew less heavy as Rarity now began to strain. Rwilight gingerly released her spell.. The wall didn't falter in the slightest, but Rarity's face was going red, her horn glowing bright. "I take it you can hold the wall up, Rare?"

"Y-y-yes...got to...as though my life depends...on it!" Rarity gurgled. Applejack had to hold her up and massaged her neck, trying to give her a little comfort. "Because...well...it does!" Twilight turned to Fluttershy, who was silent as usual.

"I know it's a lot to ask, Fluttershy, but can you carry-"

"Of course I will!" Fluttershy said, looking forward. Her voice was radiating bravery as her eyes shimmered. Anima's cackling echoed through the room, making Fluttershy frown grimly. "Anything to...to shut her up!"

"Right! Just go, now!" Rarity squeaked. The wall cracked slightly under the thundering pellets, but Rarity's magic managed to hold it together. Without a word, Fluttershy, Dash, and Twilight nodded. Pinkie pumped her front legs, giving a little cheer as the ponies set out into the hailstorm of flying clay. She quickly returned to Landscape, though, keeping her eyes peeled for any sudden movements.

"Oh, how quaint! The little ponies are flitting about like flies in a rainstorm! Desperate to stay dry! It's so amusing!" Anima taunted, her enhanced voice booming in everypony's ears. Fluttershy growled as she approached the great sphere of clay ponies, deftly avoiding the oncoming bullets as though she knew their exact course. Although a few grazed her limbs and neck, she was careful not to let a single one come into contact with herself or Twilight. The pegasus pressed on through cracks in the fire, getting closer to the shell. Twilight kept herself on high alert, scanning for some solid ground. After prying, she spotted a fairly big beach directly below the shell. The land had plenty of space to dodge the dangerous rain.

"Th-there! There Fluttershy!" Twilight pointed to the beach. Fluttershy grunted, nodding in approval as she soared down to the shore. She dropped Twilight off and shouted at Dash, signalling her to close in. While the pattern of pellets was more sparse on the beach area, Twilight still found herself rolling and ducking to avoid getting shot. She danced around the assault, occasionally tripping over darts already stuck in the sand. As she ran, she stared at the bulbous rotating sphere high above her. Focusing her mind, the unicorn stopped dead and prayed that nothing would hit her. About ten or eleven pony golems were focibly pryed from formation, revealing a giant blind spot in the shell. Anima could be heard gasping as she fumbled around, her eyes bugging out of her head as she noticed the hole.

Unable to maintain the sphere and close the gap at the same time, Anima watched Rainbow Dash barrel towards her. She smiled wide, whizzing through the air and making the lightning quick clay darts look like snails next to her speed. As she gave a victorious cry, mere seconds away from colliding with her enemy, she heard clattering hoof beats from behind and below her. Landscape leapt up, blocking Dash's path. She stretched a hoof out, as though she thought she could stop the speeding pegasus. Dash's eyes widened as she crashed right into the brown pony. A gut-wrenching crack resounded as Dash then flew straight into Anima without the slightest drop in momentum. Both enemy ponies were knocked away like rag dolls as Dash shot out of the sphere, which started dissolving. The clay barrage halted the instant Anima had been hit. Golem ponies tumbled downward, unable to stay together without direction from their master.

As Anima and her golems fell to the cluster of beaches below, Dash looked back and sighed. She wiped her brow, casting away a veritable ocean of sweat. The pegasus saw a purple blot hurrying for the spot where Anima landed. Instantly comprehending that it was Twilight, Dash zipped downward, a pleasant wind rushing through her disheveled mane as she smiled, looking forward to seeing her friend safe. As she drew closer to her defeated enemies, though, her happy smile ebbed. She noticed Twilight was standing amongst a pile of golem ponies. Her bright purple fur was unusually pale, and her eyes were wrenched open as her jaw flapped idly. Dash approached Twilight, who was quite a ways from her.

"U-umm, Twi? We won..." Dash said, in a confused kind of joy, before she got a good look ahead. Anima was struggling on the ground, her mantle torn as she crawling over to Landscape. The faithful servant was twitching robotically on the ground. Huge chips of clay flesh and incinerated hair were scattered across the dry sands. Landscape's chest had been ripped open, her large, yellow heart beating frantically in the cold air. With each plodding heartbeat, the next came further and further apart.


	7. Chapter 6

Rainbow Dash was speechless as she looked on in horror. The sight of a spasming pony with her heart laid bare was making her queasy. It didn't help that a lot of the sickness came from her own guilt. She made no move to prevent the battered Anima from getting to her servant. Curiously, the dirtied unicorn was mostly unscathed, although her mantle had been torn to shreds.

"O-oh my...I-I'm sorry...!" Dash said, quivering. "I-I...didn't mean to-"

"Spare me your regrets," Anima said callously, reaching Landscape. She placed an unflinching hoof directly on the pony's exposed heart. It throbbed violently, quaking Landscape's entire body and sending a pulse up Anima's front leg. "Do you really think you managed to accomplish anything...? Although, I suppose I can't continue fighting like this..." Anima's words were bitter, but wracked with fatigue.

"What are you talking about? _You_ can't keep fighting? What about her?" Twilight said angrily. She gestured erratically to the wounded golem, but Anima merely chuckled in response.

"Now, now. Didn't you hear me before? I know how my own golems work. I don't need to be lectured on their limits," Anima said. Twilight murmured inaudibly, looking everywhere except the two ponies sprawled out before her. She saw her friends approaching in the distance. "And speaking of which, where do you get off, Landscape, pushing yours?"

"...I...I'm...so...rry..." Landscape croaked. Every time her heart beat, her speech was temporarily cut off. "...Fai...led..."

"That's absolutely right! Y-you did," Anima scolded. She took her hoof off the golem's heart and whistled, feebly waving a front leg. A few intact golems began to stand. Some were missing chips of their bodies and were cracked in places, but they moved about just fine. Anima pointed to a group of three, addressing them with a stern, but calm voice. "All right, all. Fetch me some clay from the south banks. I didn't draw too much from there, so you should be able to dredge some out. And you..." She looked to another group of golems, directing them as the others left. "Go get me my porta-kiln. I left it in my room on my bedside table. Beneath the lamp. Be quick about it, please." The golems turned solemnly, limping away. Anima sighed, looking back to Landscape. "I do hope you know the trouble I'm going through to fix you up..."

"Tha...nk...you...mas-"

"Quiet. I can't understand you anyway," Anima hushed. Landscape immediately did so, though her body continued to twitch periodically.

"You can...fix her? How?" Dash said, amazed. She looked at the golem's heart and raised an eyebrow. The golem certainly appeared broken beyond any sort of repair. Anima just scoffed.

"Maybe you'll listen to me one of these days. I _made_ these golems. That means I know how to _fix _them. Do I need to repeat myself? Are your ears full of clay?" Anima said to Rainbow Dash. Her words were very stilted, as though she were talking to somepony that didn't speak her language. "My, you're dense."

"I'm not dense!" Dash said gruffly. "I-I'm worried! Aren't you?"

"Yes, that golem's different than the others," Twilight said. She heard the sound of disorderly hoof beats behind her, as well as splashing water. "She means more to you. You actually...you care for her, don't you?" Anima scoffed again, refusing to look at either Twilight or Dash.

"...What of it?" Anima said. "What does that matter to you anyway?" Twilight was about to answer before she heard Applejack call out.

"Twi! Twi! You okay? Did'ja get her?" Applejack shouted. She went to the unicorn's side, but doubled back upon seeing the badly injured Landscape. "Whoa, whoa! What happened?" The pony actually fellto her rump. Rarity was trailing close behind, but she turned away, retching at the same sight.

"Good...! Oh...! What's...?" she sputtered in disgust, averting her eyes. Anima rolled hers. Pinkie Pie's head popped out of a stream that was running near the sandy bank. She was wearing a snorkle, and was blowing murky bubbles out of the tube. The thing was, the stream was very shallow, barely even going past a pony's hoof. Yet, her entire body was submerged.

"Yikes! She need a band-aid or something?" Pinkie said, spitting the snorkle tube out of her mouth. Rarity whirled around to see Pinkie Pie. She gibbered at the sight of only her head and neck poking out of the hoof-deep stream.

"P-pinkie? Scuba? And you're...? How? A-and didn't you say you forgot your-"

"Yeah, I did! So I ran back to my house to get it, silly!" Pinkie said. She got out of the impossibly shallow water, shaking herself out and getting Rarity wet. Pinkie was wearing flippers too, as well as an oxygen tank.

"Th-that's...!" Rarity began, shortly before wilting to Pinkie's typical goofy grin. "...Very believable, and makes perfect sense..."

"For goodness sake! You might as well go on ahead," Anima said, waving a lazy hoof. "I'm not going to chase you all, so whether you want to proceed or not is entirely up to you..."

"W-well, thank you," Fluttershy said. She pointed a shaking hoof. She, like the rest of her friends, made a point to not look at Landscape. "B-but...she'll be okay? You promise?"

"Again, what do you care?" Anima said. Her tone was suddenly hostile and impatient. She whipped her head around, staring venomously at Fluttershy, who recoiled. Her glasses hung askew.

"U-umm, it's just that she's hurt bad...a-and the other ponies here," Fluttershy looked around to the lumps of golems that had once formed Anima's shell. Some of the remnants flopped about, trying to get somewhere with their broken stumps of limbs. "...Y-you're going to repair them too, right...?"

"What? Of course not! It'll be much easier if I just melt them back down into their base components..." Anima said casually. The flopping golems grew deathly still. Fluttershy gasped, busily shaking her head, although Anima paid no attention to her. "I used too much clay building that defense, anyhow. If only I had known you would've broken it so easily, I would never hav-"

"H-h-how can you do that?" Fluttershy whispered angrily. Her eyes were slits. "Y-you can't just make them, and t-then toss them aside like that! Th-they're..."

"Tools. Nothing but tools. Come now!" Anima said, annoyed at Fluttershy. "They've got no personality or individuality! Once they get melted down, I'll reshape them back into what they were." None of the ponies looked very sympathetic or understanding. Instead, they just looked at Anima, giving out disgusted gasps and stammers. Anima growled. "Listen. If you had a broken tool that you could fix easily and near instantly by recycling, you would do so, right? That's exactly what I'm doing..." The maimed golems shuddered in unison. Pinkie Pie flinched, just standing there. However, she soon stepped past Fluttershy, her scuba gear inexplicably gone. She approached Anima, her face scrunched up in sadness.

"...They really, _really_ don't like it when you call them that..." Pinkie said, her voice filled with uncharacteristic clarity. This got everypony's attention, even Rarity's, who had been stammering over the matter of Pinkie's vanishing gear. "Tools, I mean. They're not tools. They're...they're your servants! Th-they just wanna help you!" Anima groaned, refusing to look at Pinkie Pie.

"Bah! If they wanted to be helpful at this point, they would let me return them to their base form without any qualms!" Anima ranted. She still didn't have the courage to look at Pinkie Pie, who was practically up in her face. "Y-You talk about them as if they're ponies, but they're not! They're rocks! Clay, molded to look like ponies! Understand? They have no feelings or wants or desires! They are tools!"

"Y-you're...you're the one without any feelings..." Fluttershy uttered darkly. "How can you be so cruel to your own servants...?"

"Enough out of you! You've already won! Why is it that you need to preach your own beliefs at me?" Anima said, nearly pressing her snout to the ground. Her glasses fell off her face as this point. "If you're going to waste this much time on a defeated enemy, you'd best leave this cavern now! Do you hear me? I'm the least of your worries in this place! Speaking of which, why are you even here if you're just going to mope and whine at ponies you don't agree with, hmm? Answer me that!" Anima twirled a dismissing hoof at the group before looking back up, pleased by their silence. Pinkie had backed off, but hadn't quite taken her accusatory gaze away from Anima.

"...Have you heard of Ponyville? It's a little town just outside the Everfree," Twilight spoke up. Anima looked apathetic. "It's small, yes, but everypony gets along. Unfortunately, the unicorns of the town have been acting strangely. Unnaturally. I don't know why, but for some reason Princess Celestia...now you _must've_ heard of her?"

"Of course," the bruised pony responded. She had returned to chuckling wryly. "Who doesn't know about her?"

"Okay, well, we've been sent on a mission to investigate the strange happenings. I don't know why, but something...somepony, led us here," Twilight continued to explain. Anima suddenly became more alert at the word "somepony." She was staring at Twilight. "Tell us. We wouldn't have been drawn here if there wasn't something significant waiting." Anima paused, before looking at the ground again.

"Well, aren't we the aspiring detective?" Anima said caustcally. "And yet, you haven't even figured out the situation yet, or even more importantly, who's behind it? Furthermore, you haven't a clue. It could be me, for all you know."

"I can tell _you're_ not the culprit!" Twilight half-yelled in defense. Anima grumbled.

"S-settle down...my ears..." Anima said. Her ears were indeed drooping. Twilight stepped off a little.

"U-umm...anyway, I know you can't be the one behind it," Twilight explained. It was as if she were trying to convince herself more than Anima. "Because I felt a really big, powerful force when we got close to the cave entrance! A-and it made me lose control of myself. So obviously there's something here that makes unicorns act strange, r-right? Plus, I keep hearing this weird mare's voice in my head...and that voice isn't yours. That power isn't coming from you either!" Twilight looked to everypony, who gave little, confused nods. Twilight's own nod was shrouded in a veneer of confidence as she went back to Anima, who was wearing a bewildered stare. "S-so naturally, that crosses you off the list of possible culprits! We've gotta find the mare that keeps talking with me! And whatever that weird power source is! R-right? We've still got a ways to go..."

"S-sure, Twi," Applejack stuttered. She put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. The purple unicorn had begun to pace, which began to dig a little trench in the sand. "J-jus' simmer down a bit..."

"I think everypony knows we're not through with this stupid place yet!" Dash said, perking up. She took flight, hovering as she looking around at the walls of the room. There were plenty of openings available, but that only made things more uncertain. "U-uh...question though! Where're we headed for? I got nothin'..."

"Rainbow, fer pete's sake, we're goin' deeper in. Din't you jus' hear..." Applejack said, looking up at the airborne pegasus. Upon glimpsing the vastness of the room and its potential exits, though, Applejack's expression changed to match Dash's own. "...Erm, see what'cha mean. Eh, heh...where to, Twilight?"

"No idea...umm!" Twilight caught her defeated tone, and scowled at the laughing Anima. The dark green unicorn had retrieved her glasses, and was fiddling with them as she surveyed the perplexed group.

"It's so amusing...you're all so thick-headed," Anima said. "When it comes to beating things up, you're fine, but when you've got to use your mind...heh...you're all lost..."

"Mind? What has that got to do with anything?" Twilight said, glaring at Anima. "If you've got no idea where to go, how can you possibly...wait..." Twilight closed her eyes for a second, thinking back to Celestia's letter. "Trust your magic..." Twilight said to herself, staring at the sand dunes. "Is that how we're gonna get further...? I guess that's how we got here in the first place, but...oh! But how does that even work...?" Twilight emptied her head of everything else but this thought. "Trust your magic..." She wracked her brain hard, repeating that phrase over and over again. She was so absorbed in understanding this question, she hadn't even noticed that everypony was crowding around her, looking at her as though she were some kind of wild beast. She did, however, see the world around her turn green. Wisps of phantasmal light cloaked the now emerald green cavern.

_**"They must trust their magic! This magic!This unstifled magic! ...It is...all they have..."**_ The mare's voice from before bit into Twilight's skull. Her head reverberated as she felt her mouth move, and she screamed in reflex. The green around her retreated, and the ribbons slowly dissipated. Twilight found herself on her back, her friends looking over her. Her vision was blurry, and that same, persisting headache had returned.

"Twilight...? Twilight!" Everypony was yelling the unicorn's name in a muffled mish-mash of sound. The dazed unicorn shook lingering green spots out of view and looked past Anima, directly forward. Over the sand, across a thin stream, and at the foot of a rocky outcropping was a hole in the wall, identical to all the others like it. Or at least it had been, until Twilight saw that the strands of green aura flowing from it had yet to disappear. Twilight blinked. The strands remained.

"Th-there," she said, proceeding through the sand. Applejack darted in front of her, saking her head so furiously that her hat shuddered.

"Wh-where you think yer goin'?" Applejack said, barring Twilight's path. "N-nowhere, til' you tell us what jus' happened!"

"What do you mean...?" Twilight asked absently as she fought back the residual headache. "It was like back in the forest...before I ran away from you all."

"But, this time you said something. Like...um...'it's all they have?'" Fluttershy said uncertainly. She and the others had gathered in a half-circle around Twilight again. "And...um...something else..." Twilight just blinked, looking utterly baffled.

"It definitely _appeared_ to be like that time back in the forest," Rarity recalled. "It was...well, frightening of course! Your eyes went white, and this time you said something! Something about magic and trust and-"

"It wasn't your voice!" Pinkie said. She was bobbing back and forth, biting her lip. Her unease was hindering her usual bouncy movements. "Some freaky..._other _voice! Scary...she sounded like this creepy old auntie of mine once! I remember...she always said my teeth'd fall out if I didn't brush em' or something...or maybe it was something else. It was about teeth, though! I remember for sure!" Pinkie trailed away, any anxiety apparently gone.

"Not my voice...? A-and I wasn't myself again?" Twilight said, trying to absorb this news. "That's mare's voice...I heard it again. A-and I was talking like her? These headaches keep coming...and the green light! I'it's only when I'm not thinking, though...or maybe it's when I'm really trying? Oh...could things get any weirder?"

"Wait! My auntie's behind this? Oh no! Equestria's doomed! Totally, totally doomed!" Pinkie had dropped to the sand, looking around with shifty eyes.

"Ya know Twi? I'd say things just got weirder," Applejack said. Twilight didn't appear to be listening to anypony. Instead, she stared intently ahead at the waiting hole in the wall.

"B-but that's beside the point!" Rarity said hastily, not wanting the group to get too invested in Pinkie and her randomness. "What _does _matter here is figuring out what's the matter with you, Twilight! What exactly were you feeling when you said those things earlier? Anything strange?"

"I-it was just like before," Twilight said softly. Her senses had recovered, and the headache had gone away. The green aurora spilling from the hole ahead, however, remained clear as day. She gestured to the sight with her head while walking forward. "Can't you all see that? Or is it just me...?"

"See what?" Dash said. She scratched her mane, looking at the hole and then to the rest of the room. Everypony except Twilight followed her actions. Twilight just shook her head.

"U-umm, never mind. There's magic..._leaking_ from this place up ahead," Twilight gestured to the hole again. She was almost to the stream, even though her friends were unwilling to let her out of their sight. "It's so dense that I can see it! But...apparently none of you can..."

"Sounds like a place a culprit would be!" Dash blurted out. She flapped her wings happily, the usual cocky grin strong on her face. "Charge!" Dash flew ahead of the group with a burst of speed, but drooped in mid-air at the sound of a screeching whistle. The surprisingly loud noise had come from Fluttershy.

"No charge..." Fluttershy said.

"No charge?" Dash said sadly. She began hovering again, her head hung in frustration. She had only just returned to Fluttershy's position before Pinkie Pie sprang out of the group, hopping eagerly towards the hole in the wall.

"I like Dashie's idea better! Chaaaaarge!" Pinkie said, bouncing towards the hole.

"No! No charge!" Fluttershy tried to shout, but Pinkie didn't listen. Twilight just shook her head.

"You know what? Let's just go," the unicorn said. "I'm so tired of this place...and I've gotta find out just what's happening before I go crazy!" With a huff, Twilight galloped ahead, disobeying her own proposed rule of staying together. Rarity stepped forward.

"You know, this may sound insane, but I've gained an appreciation for throwing caution to the winds tonight," Rarity said. Everypony stared at her blankly before she turned to explain. "Well, this cave is such a mess. I suppose just charging ahead is how anypony gets anywhere around here."

"Sooo...charge?" Dash asked like a kid pleading for a shiny new toy. Rarity sighed.

"Charge."

"Charge!" Dash said, giddy at Rarity's confirmation. The other three ponies followed the speeding pegasus, leaving Anima and Landscape behind. The beaten ponies had been busy with their own conversation, paying the other ponies no heed whatsoever.

"Mas...ter..." Landscape burbled. She had stopped twitching and was now laying placidly on the ground. She looked pitifully at Anima with glossy eyes. Her words were as jittery as ever. "...I'm...a bro...ken...tool...?"

"N-no, of course not..." Anima said quietly. She wasn't sure if the ponies had left or not, and she didn't want them to catch her being soft. She chuckled slyly. "Well, you _are_ broken, yes...but no, you're no tool Landscape."

"...I...want to...make master's...life...easy..." Landscape struggled to say.

"Now, now. You do a fine job of that, my dear," Anima said. She moved to run her hoof through Landscape's mane, but stopped herself upon realizing there was nothing there.

"...Repairing...me is...hard...for mas...ter..." Anima said. She closed her eyes. "...It'd be...eas...ier...if master...melted...me..."

"Well, in all honesty..." Anima began, before shaking her head firmly. She laid her pragmatism to the side. "No. No it wouldn't be." Landscape's eyes fluttered open. She looked confused.

"...It would...be..." Landscape assured her master. "...You said...bro...ken golems...get...melted. That's...easy...for master..."

"Landscape, for goodness sake," Anima said. "You know I can't just make another...pony, like you. If a friend, err, goes away, you can't just make another one."

"...Pony...? ...Me...?"

"And besides, you said you wanted to make my life easy, yes? And happy too, I assume?"

"...Yes..."

"Then stop talking like that, about being melted down, right this instant! It's making me very _un_easy, and _un_happy!" Landscape froze up.

"...N-no...I..." Landscape got that same crestfallen look as before, when Anima told her she had failed her mission. Anima smiled pathetically and hugged her charred, mutilated golem. She felt her servant's fleshy heart thump considerably faster. "M-Master...?"

"Oh, Landscape...for goodness sake..."

It was dank and gloomy inside the new tunnel. Spots of dreary blue light from an unknown source spread across the cobbled ground. The navy blue glow was hardly ample, though, and the ponies had to squint to make out the closest of feature. At least, that's what everypony except Twilight had to do. To the sole unicorn that could see the floating blobs of green magic, everything was basked in a ghostly neon green. The odd light seemed to be traveling downward, as though caught in a vacuum. Indeed, the floor sloped down, but Twilight was busy jumping at bizarre shadows cast by the sickly aura. She winced every time it would pass through one of her friends. They would, for a split-second, be enveloped in a veil of white and lose their shape. Twilight shivered as she saw the white outlines of her friends approach her.

"Okay, Twi. Yer tellin' us what yer seein' right now," Applejack said firmly. The other ponies nodded their heads, with Fluttershy being the most resolute.

"Th-that is, if you feel like it..." the pegasus said. Everypony glared at her, and she backed up a little, almost falling to her hind legs. She didn't expect the steep incline behind her. "Wh-what? We're always ordering her around and-"

"Green. That's it. Just green blobs everywhere," Twilight said. Pinkie Pie stuck out her tongue.

"Ewww! Like slime or snot? That's real gross, Twilight! Why couldn't you just lie?" Pinkie Pie said. Her words made the others recoil.

"Ugh! It only got gross until _you_ mentioned snot, Pinkie Pie!" Dash said, scrunching up her snout in revulsion. "Geez...now I'm picturing this place covered with funky gunk! Brr...good thing I can fly, huh? Remind me not to touch any walls."

"Waaah! If that is the case, green blobs _everywhere,_ I demand that somepony carry me this instant!" Rarity said. Nopony jumped at the task, causing Rarity to stomp her hooves in protest. "You would have me get my hooves covered in slime? Well why not? I'm already covered in dirt! We can make this whole shenanigan one big dirty, scuzz party!"

"Whoo-hoo! ?Funky gunky scuzz par-taaay!" Pinkie cheered, grabbing the reviled Rarity's hooves and waltzing with her. "Oh! But wait! I need to actually find out where the stuff is, so's I can decorate! Twilight! Where is the slime of which you speak? I am quite intrigued as to its location!" Pinkie Pie adopted some kind of posh, scholarly hunter type accent. Twilight just gave a little laugh.

"Umm, like I said, everywhere. A-actually, it's floating in the air mostly," Twilight said. She saw Dash's eyes go wide, and watched the pegasus drop to the ground like a lead weight. Her little laugh instantly became more boisterous. "O-oh! B-but I don't think it's slime, everypony! Like I said, it's...magic, for some reason. Pure magic, actually." Everypony was silent. Pinkie suddenly rocketed into the air. Her ears stood up tall.

"Oooh! Everypony hear that?" Pinkie Pie said as she ran down the slope. She tripped and fell on her face once, but she got back up with a giggle. "I'm hearin' some mad jams! Awesome beats! Ya know what that means? Somepony's havin' a party!" Pinkie continued to scramble down the slope. To the other ponies, who could only see a dimly lit tunnel, the pink pony was long gone. Twilight, however, could still discern her faint outline. Everypony could hear her crazed ramblings, though. "Where there's a party, there's sweets! And where there's sweets, I'm there! Ya-hooooo!"

"Now, ah'm no doctor er nothin'. Not even pretendin' ta' be," Applejack said. "But ah'd say Pinkie's gone off the deep end."

"She hasn't had anything tooth-rotting in a while," Dash said matter-of-factly. She hesitantly began to hover again. "Ya know what? I'm not surprised."

"B-but, there _is _something up ahead. Can't you all hear it?" Fluttershy said. Everypony turned to face her.

"Great! Now we've got sounds only Fluttershy can hear!" Dash said, stretching out and coughing.

"No, wait. Everypony be quiet," Rarity said, holding a hoof to her ear. Everypony did the same. It was a faint, but thick beat, like mad hooves pounding a drum. The rhythm could be heard echoing off the cavern walls. It would come from one direction one moment, and then another the next, but seeing as there was only one way to go, the ponies proceeded down the slope in a tightly knit group.

Twilight had her head tilted up the whole way down. The dancing lights above her head continued down with the ponies, wafting freely throughout the air. They criss-crossed, zig-zagged, and free-wheeled, as if blown by a violent wind.

The mysterious beat gradually became louder and more detailed with time. A shrill, unpleasant noise that wouldn't have sounded out of place in a haunted house wormed its way into the ponies ears. Their pace slowed as their blood grew cold, stricken with unease. The drum beats also continued, growing closer together and more bombastic.

The cave walls around the friends, however, only grew further apart. More light filtered in from somewhere, perhaps tiny cracks in the steadily emancipating walls. The ceiling grew higher and higher, allowing the pegasi more room to fly. Fluttershy, however, kept her hooves to the ground. That is, until the walls separated completely, revealing that the ponies now stood on a raised pathway with no siding. Fluttershy squeaked as she nearly fell off the rocky edge, and shakily took flight. The ponies got a look at their new surroundings, and couldn't stop their jaws from dropping in response.

The room was shrouded in darkness, but a larger, circular platfrom up ahead provided a resonant light, multicolored light from yet another unidentified source. Etheral floods of pale blue rushed below the raised path and platform, forming a tangled ocean of magical energy. Twilight's green vision also disappeared upon entering the room, as the emerald aura did a sharp curve downward, dumping into the blue light sea so far below.

This sight alone did not ensnare the friends, though. In fact, the light show was utterly uninteresting compared to what was on the stone platform ahead. The friends rushed there, with Applejack, Rarity, and Twilight being extra careful not lose their balance and tumble down to the light soaked depths. It was hard to maintain any sort of self-control, though, when the group laid their eyes upon the collection of unicorns crammed onto the big platform. Hundreds of unicorns were jammed haphazardly onto the circular slice of rock, though they were standing curiously still. They would shift occasionally, but all were silent.

"Wow...this party's super lame," Pinkie Pie said, her face downtrodden. She had been waving around several glow sticks in her mouth, but promptly spat them out upon noticing her friends. "Oh, hi everypony! Guess what? I found the unicorns!"

"Ya don't say..." Applejack murmured, utterly floored by the sight of what looked like every unicorn in Ponyville, as well as a few non-townsponies. Just looking for a few seconds revealed several familiar faces, such as Lyra, who was drooling out the side of her mouth, Vinyl Scratch, who had no goggles, and even the Great and Powerful Trixie, who stood without her cloak and hat. Not a single one looked even slightly lucid. Their eyes were barely open, and their mouth appeared to be afflicted with lockjaw. Their hooves shuffled about sluggishly, with a few bumped into each other. Some were engaging in this bobbing activity dangerously close to the edge, seemingly without concern. Rarity gasped.

"Wh-what...what is everypony doing here?" she said, at a loss for breath. Fluttershy waved a hoof in front of a staring unicorn's face, while Rainbow Dash flat out smacked one upside the head. Neither pegasus got a single reaction from either.

As they shrugged helplessly, a creepy, pulsating warbling rang out. Everypony turned their heads in the direction of the cacophony. That really was the only way to describe the whirlwind of noise. Drum beats, howling echoes, and blaring trills of odd sound plastered blasted across the dark the front of the gathered crowd of unicorns was a small stone table. On either sides of it were two, giant loudspeakers, which were producing the chaotic tune.

A deep yellow unicorn stood at the table. She had a short, jagged brown mane and was wearing what looked like a single headphone. An bent antennae sprang out of it, and a large visor was draped across her eyes. A little brown box with a couple of similar, but longer, antennae was set on the table in front of her. She bobbed her head in tune with the frantic rhythm, and lazily swung a front leg between the antennae sticking out of the box. Every time her hoof and front leg moved, even the tiniest bit, a different type of weird trill sang out.

The yellow pony continued to sway with the music for a while, not noticing the new visitors that were vacantly staring her down. Applejack cleared her throat roughly, snapping the unicorn's attention away from the music. The yellow pony smiled big.

"Oh heeeey! Lookit! I didn't know you all were here!" her voice was friendly, but as her visor folded back into her headphone, revealing joyful yellow eyes, she frowned. "...Um, what gives? Why're there earth ponies and pegasi? You all weren't really invited..."

"What?" Pinkie exclaimed. "There was a party that _I_ wasn't invited to? I don't even think that's possible. By the way, just thought I'd let you know your party's lame. As a professional party pony, I think I have the right to say that. Hmm...maybe I need a license first..."

"Hey! That's mean!" the yellow pony said. She lowered her head to the stone table. All at once, the trill stopped. "I mean...yeah, I've never really thrown a party before. But hey! At least the guests don't wanna leave! They've been here for an awful long time!"

"By guests, do you mean these unicorns?" Twilight said, glancing around to the emotionless faces surrounding her. "And exactly _how _long? Oh! What does that matter! Everypony! We've gotten to the bottom of this at last!"

"So, the unicorns were _ponyknapped?_" Rarity said, somewhat confused. She tapped a nearby unicorn. It swayed idly to the right, and then to the left. "Then, what were those unicorns back in Ponyville?" The yellow pony at the table snickered before rapping the table with a hoof, producing a series of clacks.

"Aww, c'mon! Put two and two together, why dont'cha?" the unicorn said. "You all saw Ms. Golem Lady back there, didn't ya? Or...did ya? She does like to get her sleep..." Twilight ignored the yellow pony's words. All except for the mention of Anima, anyway. Her eyes suddenly went wide as the answer hit her.

"...Golems. She replaced the unicorns with-"

"Golem copies, yeah!" the yellow pony said happily. "I lure the unicorns here, and she replaces them with special, talkng, perfectly made replicas of-"

"Perfectly made?" Rarity said flatly. She glared at the yellow pony, who promptly shut up. "I have never laid eyes on anything more abominable in my entire life! Those replicas might as well have been left as the lumps of clay they were made from, for all the 'perfection' they had!"

"Yeah, well...she _did _say it was tough to make talking golems," the yellow unicorn said with a nervous laugh. "And between you and me, she's not really that-"

"What exactly were you talkin' about?" Applejack said rather harshly. "'Bout you lurin' ponies over here? Matter a' fact, who _are_ you anyway?" The yellow pony blinked before realizing Applejack was talking to her.

"...O-oh! Umm, that's right! Name's Hertz!" she said, her happy attitude springing back out. She kept tapping slowly on the weathered tabletop as she explained. "So uh, yeah! We need lots of unicorns in order to break the seal on my mistress! Tons of magic needs to be gathered and, well, she says she _almost _has enough to get out, but-"

"Wait! Uh, slow down a little," Fluttershy piped up. She returned to the floor and shambled toward the center of the platform, now confident that she wouldn't fall off the edge. Before she knew it, she was stading closer to the stone table than she would've liked. "Who's your mistress? She sounds like a bad lady..."

"Hey, don't you be talking about the mistress like that! She's not bad! She's a wise and powerful unicorn, who's been sealed away for a real long time you know!" Hertz said. She had suddenly gotten a little defensive, straightening up and pointing an irritated hoof at Fluttershy. The hoof had soared through the two antennae on the brown box, and a guttural trill was produced. The annoying sound hung in the air until Hertz retracted her front leg sheepishly. "Whoopsie! A-anyway, we've been working hard to get her out! I mean, I tried to pour my own magic into the seal, but she said it wasn't _nearly _enough! Nope, she said 'Hertz, you gotta get out and bring some more unicorns!' So I did! All the unicorns in Ponyville! They've been offering up loads of magic to set her free, and-"

"Offering up?" Dash interupted. Her tone was piercing, silencing Hertz. "Yeah right! I bet you've been _forcing_ them to do what is you want! And by the way, you never answered Twi, earlier. How long have they been down here." Hertz scoffed.

"Oh c'mon! Only like...uh...three, four days? S-some longer, some shorter, y-y'know? Heh..." Hertz stuttered, clearly unsure. There was silence before she puffed out her chest proudly. "But that's nothing compared to how long I've been down here! Eleven years, and counting! Course', I never really fit in out there anywa-"

"Hey, whoa, whoa! Eleven _years?_" Pinkie said. She shook her head feverishly. "That's...just stupid! Why'd you do that? What'd you eat?"

"U-umm...let's just say I acquired a taste for eyeless cave fish," Hertz said, her face twitching as her tongue flopped out. Her coat turned the tiniest hint of pale green as she looked off into the distance. "A-anyways, I've been living here with the mistress, or what's left of her, for most of my life! And I couldn't be happier! Well, I could be, I guess. I'm gonna be as soon as she gets ou-"

"Ah' don't think yer mistress is the kinda pony ah'd want runnin' around free," Applejack said, flinching. "'Specially if she goes an' tells ya ta' start ponyknappin' folks."

"Yes, that's right!" Twilight said. She shot a fiery gaze at Hertz, who looked bored. "If she's sealed up, there must've been a good reason to do so!"

"But that's just it! There wasn't!" Hertz said incredulously. "All my mistress wanted was for unicorns to reach their full potential! That's why she tapped into Equestria's hidden magic source, the Mystery Vein, the flow of magic you see below you," Hertz gestured downward. Everypony looked to the torrent of blue flashing light below. Hertz cleared her throat, continuing her little lecture. It was as though she had rehearsed it. "There's lots of amazing things unicorns can do with magic, if there's nothing between them and the Mystery Vein. Like, you saw Anima back there, flyin' around and-"

"So that's how she did it?" Twilight said, with a heavy air of uncertainty. "This...erm, 'Mystery Vein, you're babbling about?"  
>"I-I'm not babbling!" Hertz said. Dash sighed.<p>

"Ya kinda are! How bout' letting the unicorns go before we gotta beat you up?"

"U-umm, that is, if you don't want to talk things through first," Fluttershy offered up hopefully. Hertz blinked, bemused.

"No. If you're gonna try and take the unicorns back, I'm not letting you!" Hertz said, before tapping her right ear. The visor slipped out of her headphone, obscuring her eyes. She nodded to herself. She appeared to be glancing to Twilight, and then to Rarity. "Mm-hmm. So that's why the mistress invited you here. She was totally right! Umm...Twi, was it? Twilight? Your magical energy's crazy! If I can strain it out of you, the mistress'll finally be able to get free!"

"Excuse me?" Rarity said icily. "What about me?" Hertz shrugged ineffectually.

"Eh, average. Maybe a little below?"

"Why, I never!" Rarity said furiously. She turned away from the giggling Hertz, stamping her hooves.

"You keep talking about this...'inviting' stuff," Twilight said. "What do you mean?"

"The cave of forbidden magic is just that! Forbidden and, well, not easy to get to! Unless myself or my mistress were to lure somepony here, they'd never find it in the first place," Hertz explained. Her swishing front leg through the twin antennae grew a little faster. "On top of that, unless a unicorn with a big magical store approached it, the cave entrance would just look like a dumb ol' rock!"

"What're you tryin' ta' say, exactly?" Applejack said, pawing at the cobblestone floor. She snorted, staring Hertz down. "You think yer jus' gonna take Twilight away, yer crazy! Though, ah'd say yer pretty crazy even if ya weren't lookin' ta do that!"

"Oh look! Earth pony's angry!" Hertz giggled. She thrusted her front leg forward. "But say...weren't you interested in learning exactly _how_ I lured the unicorns here? Even if you're not, get ready! I remember the mistress talking about you. Twilight Sparkle...time for you to wake her up!" Hertz kept giggling, more and more loudly. Her laughter amplified in Twilight's brain. It wavered from ear to ear, gradually picking up speed. Suddenly, before Twilight could say a word, the bizarre trilling noise stacked on top of the giggle, as well as a hideous blend of moans and screeching gurgles. Twilight's eyes wobbled as the world around her spun and faded to a dark indigo. She teetered on her hooves before she blacked out, unable to hear her friends cries.

The purple unicorn soon found herself awake, flat on the ground. Rising up, she found the room had taken on a different color. A shade of dark blue poured from the surrounding unicorns, and the storm of magical light below the raised platform was nowhere to be found. Looking around, Twilight only saw Rarity, who was also struggling to rise. Rushing over to her friend, all while being careful to not knock over any of the other unicorns, Twilight helped her get up.

"You okay?" Twilight asked. Rarity nodded her head as her mouth hung open a bit.

"U-uh-huh..." the unicorn was clearly unable to see straight as she creaked around frighteningly. She almost fell into a shuffling unicorn nearby, but Twilight grabbed her by the neck to hold her straight.

"Where's everypony else? Where'd they go?" Twilight asked quickly, shaking Rarity a little. The sudden jolt knocked Rarity wide awake. She relieved herself from Twilight's grip.

"I have no idea!" Rarity said, as though Twilight had deeply offended her. Her eyes almost bugged out of her head as she pointed to something behind Twilight. "Wh-what in Equestria...is that?" Twilight whirled around and gasped in terror. A lanky, misty pony made out of shadows slowly emerged from an inky pool placed between a crowded cluster of unicorns. It appeared to be dripping pure darkness, a fang-filled grimace etched onto its eyeless face.

"What's what? It's me, silly filly! Ya know, Pinkie Pie?" Pinkie said to Rarity. The pony began to hop over to Rarity, but she stopped dead as she noticed Rarity cowering in fear.

"A-ahh! What's it doing? Is it looking at me? I can't tell! Ahhh!" the shadow pony had let out a hideous screech as it started for Rarity. Twilight moved to guard the white unicorn, who was trembling from head to hoof.

"I-I don't know!" Twilight said, her own voice shaking with fear and confusion. Looking around, she noticed more jet-black pools spreading across the floor. They spawned between the unsuspecting hordes of unmoving unicorns, rippling as more dark, looming creatures burst out. Twilight jumped as they churned out a terrifying symphony of shrieks. The beasts lurched and trembled, all while standing dreadfully still. All four of them.

"Rare? What's the matter? What's wrong?" Applejack shouted out. She also tried to approach Rarity, but the unicorn backed away screaming.

"C-calm down, Rarity!" Twilight said, lowering her voice to a whisper. "I-I think they might be attracted to sound, or movement, or something." The shadow beasts shifted ominously, spewing obsidian saliva from their evilly smiling maws.

"How do you know that?" Rarity said back, trying her best not to yell. She looked out from behind Twilight as she searched for the stone table. "Wh-where's that Hertz pony, or whatever her name was...?"

"I dunno," Twilight whispered, putting more space between herself and the four shadow ponies. "But more importantly, where'd everypony go...?"

"Y-you! What'd you do to them?" Dash yelled at Hertz, back in the real world. Twilight and Rarity both jumped, inching away from the wailing shadow pony with blade-like wings flaring from its back. Hertz merely snickered.

"Hey, isn't it cool? How just the teensiest bit of magic, combined with the right noise can make a pony see something totally different? Course' I couldn't do it without help from the Mystery Vein..." Dash fumed before charging at Hertz, her teeth clenched in fury. She found herself trapped in mid-air, though. Twilight had shot a levitation spell at her, trapping her in a blob of sparkling magic. Dash struggled, growling ferociously, but was unable to move.

"Fluttershy! What're you doing?" Twilight said, relieved but strained. It was proving quite difficult to keep the winged shadow pony bound. The sight of Fluttershy popping out from behind the stone table drove her to react, though. "G-get back down! What have you been doing behind there, anyway?"

"Oh, Twilight! Thank goodness!" the fabricated Fluttershy said. She looked to the held shadow pony and squeaked. "I-I thought I heard a noise, but...wh-what are those things?"

"I dunno! But do you know where the others are?" Twilight asked anxiously. The real Fluttershy stood in the center of the stone platform, floored at the fact that Twilight was talking to Hertz as though she was her. She had only taken her eyes off the ensnared Rainbow Dash for a few seconds.

"Twilight! What's wrong? What're you-"

"Augh! Twilight, it's getting closer!" Rarity said, hiding closer behind Twilight. A shadow pony in the middle of the platform had let out a guttural cry. It had also begun to creep closer to Twilight and Rarity. Twilight reacted by hurling the recently levitated shadow pony straight at it. Back in the real world, Rainbow Dash crashed into Fluttershy. The pegasi were now piled in a messy, scrambling heap. Twilight smirked as the creatures wailed and screamed in agony, apparently dispatched for the time.

"I do! Hertz knocked them out with some kind of magic, and took them down further below," Fluttershy explained from behind the stone table. Her ears drooped as she eyed the screaming pile of writhing shadows. "A-and then these things showed up...can you chase them off?"

"Heh...sure thing! Th-these guys aren't so tough after all!" Twilight said, psyching herself up. She turned to Rarity. "Okay. First we're taking these things out. And then, Fluttershy!" Twilight faced the fake Fluttershy, who nodded. "You hide for now! Don't you worry about fighting! We got this."

"Well, I suppose it's good that we're not _too_ outnumbered," Rarity said, stepping out from behind Twilight and facing a shadow pony. Copious amounts of black goo oozed from its gangly body. Rarity coughed. "Ugh! These things are disgusting! Let's dispose of them quickly!"

"Hear that? They're gonna dispose of you," Hertz said to the confused pegasi and earth ponies. Applejack grunted and ran at Hertz, but Twilight flung a levitation spell at the earth pony. Applejack ascended against her will.

"T-Twilight! Get aholda' yerself!" Applejack choked. Twilight's did no such thing. She was too busy keeping a bulkier, wailing shadow pony aloft and away from Fluttershy.

"Look, you really are better off leaving. They look serious!" Hertz said boorishly. She gestured to Twilight and Rarity, who grew braver and braver, stepping out to face the beasts before them. "Hoo...oh yeah! if I were you, I'd head for the hills!"


	8. Chapter 7

Another attempt to get at Hertz failed as Twilight caught her own friend in a levitation spell. Of course, she didn't see that she was flinging Pinkie Pie into Applejack. Rather, she saw the big black blob antagonizing Fluttershy careen into another monstrous black blob. Rarity was trailing behind Twilight, still reluctant to go all out on the beasts sprawled throughout the horde of captured unicorns. Pinkie Pie wiggled her head about, her eyes shaking as Applejack spat and rubbed her cheek. Her face was sore and covered with grime.

"Danggit! You dirty lil'...!" Applejack shot at Hertz, who cackled triumphantly. She continued to wave her hoof in between the antennae in front of her. That eerie trilling played throughout the madness of friends fighting friends. "Twi! Cain't you recognize us? It's yer friends!"

"Ah, ha ha! Ya know it's hopeless, right?" Hertz said, trying to locate the tiring ponies somewhere in the unicorn crowd. "Those two are trapped in a totally flawless illusion world made up by me! And they see you as monsters! They're gonna keep fighting until you all run away or until they...well, you know."

"...What?" Fluttershy asked innocently after a moment of silence. Hertz exhaled roughly.

"Ya know?" Hertz made a whistling noise as she plunged her hoof through the air. When it hit the stone table with a clack, she made a squishing noise. Fluttershy cringed. "Send ya all over the edge!"

"...You idiot," Rainbow Dash panted. She managed to get up from being thrown, sending a line of unicorns teetering in the process. Her wings were very ruffled, with stiff, tangled feathers poking out messily. "We can fly, y'know. Fluttershy and me? Whaddya think throwin' us over the cliff's gonna do?" Hertz babbled incoherently at this, searching for a retort. She hadn't found Rainbow Dash yet, either. She was being heckled by an annoyed sounding voice planted somewhere within the crowd of gaping unicorns. Hertz got into a staring contest with her brown box, her waving hoof faltering slightly. She could just feel Dash glaring hatefully at her.

"U-u-umm, well you n-never know what's gonna work til' you try, right?" Hertz said stupidly. She gestured dramatically, not aiming for anypony in particular. She was doing her best to look at an adversary, but she could only see the hypnotized Twilight and Rarity. "A-and besides! What if I send one of the earth ponies over the edge? Hmm? What happens then? Splat happens, that's what!"

"Um, no! Stupid!" Pinkie blurted out. Hertz could hear her hoof beats echoing far apart from each other. Then she noticed the pink pony's head pop out from the big crowd. She was bouncing, up and down. Every time her head emerged from the blanket of unicorns, though, she cast a piercing glare at Hertz. "Dashie catches us, that's what!"

"Ugh! That awful, awful noise!" Rarity moaned. Her ears rattled as she finally levitated Pinkie, or rather, the hopping blob pony, out of irritation. Pinkie stopped talking after she realized she was floating. Rarity sighed, content that the freakish screeching of the monster had ceased. "There. That's better."

"Fluttershy, what're you talking about?" Twilight said. She was looking at the stone table, and the oddly brash Fluttershy settled behind it. Just a moment ago she had been waving her front leg and chastising one of the winged shadows beasts. "What do you mean, 'send the earth ponies over the edge?'" The fake Fluttershy gulped, her pupils dilating to the size of a grain of rice. Her head creaked in Twilight's direction. The unicorn stood there, idly tapping a hoof and staring quizzically. The false Fluttershy flashed an equally artificial grin.

"O-o-ooooh! Th-that's just me! Being...me. Doing what I do, you know..." Fluttershy blabbered. Her voice gradually faded to Fluttershy's typical softness, but it had started out gratingly loud. Twilight and Rarity both blinked. The white unicorn even released her levitation spell out of surprise.

"What are you talking about?"

"Fluttershy, please attempt to make sense," Rarity said. "I know you're scared, but I'm curious too. What _did _you mean by that little outburst earlier?" Both Hertz and the fake Fluttershy were clueless as to what to say next. The two unicorns, meanwhile, waited intently for an answer.

"S-steady Hertz! Keep cool! Don't lose it...u-ummmm..." Hertz said, settling down and biting her lip. Her Fluttershy copy didn't imitate her words. Instead, she just blinked a few times, keeping the suspiciously wide smile. Hertz turned to where she thought her enemies were. "Question! What's Fluttershy like anyway? Otherwise I'm gonna lose my focus!"

"Oh...oh! I'm very pushy. A-and loud," Fluttershy said quietly, a little light bulb flicking on in her head. She giggled cunningly, keeping her voice down. Hertz raised an eyebrow, honestly dumbfounded as to where to look for the pegasus' voice.

"You sure don't sound very loud! Is that even what you said just now?" Hertz said impatiently. "Bein' honest, I only put you in the illusion because you seem the type that everypony wants to protect!"

"I-I see. But I'm most definitely pushy and loud all the time. I'm only quiet right now so you'll let your guard down..." Fluttershy said, raising her voice a little. "Everypony protects me because they don't want me to push them around...right, Rainbow Dash...?" Knowing that Hertz couldn't see her, she winked to Dash, who was only a trio of unicorns away. The other pegasus coughed, but winked back.

"Y-yeah! You should see her sometimes! Downright scary! She's so loud and mean and-"

"Ah'd make yer lil' copy nice an' rude. Otherwise, they're gonna see right through it!" Applejack said, stifling her own little giggles. She made sure to keep still so as not to alert her brainwashed friends. "Ah'm just tellin' ya what's gonna go down, if ya keep it up..."

"Yo! You should tell em' to hurry and throw us over the edge!" Pinkie Pie said, not bothering to stand up. "And, and to make you a sammich! With a cherry on top!"

"What...? Is this for real?" Hertz said. She scratched at her mane, bringing her hoof away from the two antennae. The eerie trilling in the background faded to silence. Rarity's and Twilight's bodies twitched in unison, their eyes going blank. Hertz didn't seem to notice. She tilted her head, deep in thought. "No, that can't be right! Makes nooo sense! You're shy! I mean, c'mon! It's right in your name! I'm not so sure about this..."

"You don't get it? I really like to get into the shy act," Fluttershy continued, narrowing her eyes and keeping up the ruse. "Get it? It's all an act! I'm really very, very...rude. Honest."

"Oh yeah? Then say something rude!" Hertz said , sinking to her back haunches and crossing her front legs. She spat as she heard nothing but silence. Fluttershy was wracking her brain trying to think up something mean, but nothing jumped out. "Ha! That's what I thought! You can't fool me! I'm just too good!" Meanwhile, the illusion world around Twilight and Rarity was melting away. They felt their bodies grow heavier as the normal light returned. The dark blue flickered madly, fading away as the swirling storm of lights below swam back into view.

"Wow! I can't _believe_ you're letting yourself fall for this! ...F-for the sh-shy act, I mean!" Dash snorted. "A...a b-brainy pony like you...fallin' for...ba-ha-ha!" Dash was unable to contain her laughter, falling over onto her back. Her wings tingled in pain, and her voice became a cracked mixture of laughs and groans. Twilight's ears perked up. The abominable screaming of a towering pony creature gave way to Rainbow Dash's more than inviting laughter. "I-I'm sorry everypony! But she's...she's just so stupid!" Hertz bit her lip, her eyes watering as she looked even harder to find the ponies behind the voices. She heard a loud sigh.

"Yup. Cain't argue with that," Applejack said. "One apple short of a bushel, ah'd say. Er, maybe two. Think ah'm bein' too kindly?"

"You...! I-I'm not stupid! _You're_ stupid!" Hertz said, sniffling. "S-so there!" Twilight caught Hertz' breaking voice from behind her. She saw a slack-jawed Rarity in her peripherals as she turned around to see the livid slump of a pony positioned behind the table.

"Wh-what? What happened?"

"Hey, Twilight? Can ya hear me?" Pinkie Pie called out. She resumed bouncing about. "Piiiiinkie to Twiiiii! Are you done being craaaaazy?" Twilight didn't know what to say at this, but she reacted at the sound of Rainbow Dash's voice.

"Twilight! Box! Now!" the pegasus barked from somewhere. Twilight saw Hertz panicking and throwing out her front leg. Twilight quickly puzzled together what the enemy unicorn was trying. Before Hertz could resume her spell, Twilight magically lifted the box out of her reach. The yellow unicorn lost her balance, falling flat onto the table. Twilight sighed and casually dropped the box on top of Hertz. Her' spiky mane flattened as the box landed with a squealing whine.

"Wh-what's...happening...?" Rarity mumbled, shaking her head every couple of seconds. "Why's everything...everything's back to normal? What?" Rarity's eyes grew wide, now fully lucid.

"Yeah, Rare," Applejack said. She pushed her way through several stiff unicorns to reach her friends at the table. A relieve smile was on her face as she approached without fear of being hit with more telekinesis. "Y'all were bein' hypnotized er somethin'. By that pony back there..." Applejack pointed to the table, where Hertz was rubbing her head in pain.

"You thought she was me..." Fluttershy added, also worming her way through the crowd. Pinkie leapt over the unicorns, landing on one's back in the process.

"Yeah! You were throwin' us around and stuff!" Pinkie said, bouncing off the unicorn to get right up in Rarity's face. "Well, Twilight was anyway. You were all kinda 'ewwww' for some reason. I dunno...heeeeey...what'd _we_ look like, anyways?" Rarity hacked and cringed, remaining unsure on what to describe first.

"So...we were being controlled by her?" Twilight murmured. The sore collection of ponies nodded. Rarity and Twilight saw just how disheveled they looked. Clumps of dirtied fur and bumps littered their bodies. Pinkie's right ear was limp even though the other one was straight upright. Fluttershy's wings looked half-broken, and Applejack's right eye was puffy and swollen. Twilight gasped in realization as Rarity nodded absently. Her eyes twitched, holding back barely contained fury.

"Oh, so that's what happened is it? Well, in that case..." Rarity said before whipping around to Hertz, who was fumbling with the box on her head. Rarity magically tore it away from her before slamming it back down on her head again. Hertz groaned and then yelped as Rarity repeated this action, continuing to beat Hertz with the heavy box. An echoing clang and a weak squeak rang out every time the box connected.

"I...oh no! W-we didn't hurt you all, did we-"

"Jus' a scratch, Twi," Applejack said to the stammering Twilight. The sheen had left her normally shining purple eyes. "N-nothin' major! Bumps an' bruises, all that-"

"I'm just so glad you're both back to normal!" Fluttershy said, flinging her front legs around Twilight. The unicorn felt the pegasus' warm fur rubbing up against her own. Her friend's body was oddly bumpy. "You were...oh, we didn't know what to..."

"It's all thanks to Fluttershy!" Dash said, beaming at Fluttershy. She joined the group, stepping out from between some unicorns. Twilight raised an eyebrow and looked down to her friend. "I-I mean, she was real convincing! Tricking that nimrod and stuff! Course' it probably wouldn't take too much work to do that anyway..." Fluttershy snickered a little, but kept a tight grip on Twilight's neck.

"Th-thanks, Fluttersh-"

"O-oooooow! St-stop! You're gonna bust it!" Everypony had been ignoring the discordant background noises, but they turned at this frantic cry. Rarity narrowed her eyes before finally lifting the damaged box off Hertz' head, which was now immensely lumpy. She gave a shaky breath. "Ahhhh...what's the big idea, you psycho?"

"I could ask the same of you," Rarity snapped. Hertz gulped as she saw the box descend suddenly. It came to a screeching halt, hanging a hairsbreadth above her frazzled mane. "Where do you get off, turning us against our best friends like that? Isn't it time you apologized?"

"Apologize for what? Tryin' to make it so unicorns can be better?" Hertz said. Rarity scoffed.

"Don't you be glib with me! Capturing about half the townsponies, taking over our minds, all that!" Rarity tapped the box to Hertz head, punctuating her words with light thumps. Twilight looked around at the mindlessly swaying unicorn crowd.

"Speaking of minds," Twilight said, breaking away from Fluttershy, who reluctantly released. She looked to Hertz, who's nose was running. "You took over these ponies minds too, right? That's how you brought them here in the first place...?" Hertz looked up hesitantly. Upon finding no box on top of her, she rose a little.

"Y-yeah, so?"

"Why aren't all the unicorns back to normal? I mean, you released the spell, didn't you?" Twilight said. Hertz blinked.

"You dropped em' into yer lil' 'illusion' world er whatever it's called," Applejack said slowly. She scratched at her main, her voice veiled in uncertainty. "An' ya did it with that weird box doohickey a' yours. So yeah! Why're they still loopy?" At this, Hertz exhaled before shaking her head. Rarity was poised to drop the box on her again, making the yellow unicorn blubber and shelter herself.

"A-ahh...! Y-you really think beating me is gonna solve all this?" Hertz said quickly. Dash coughed.

"Eh, prob'ly not. But hey! It'd sure help me vent a little!" Dash said with a grin. Hertz gulped.

"Yeah, well, you'd be wasting your time! I may have lured everypony here, but it was my mistress that began to siphon their magic!" Hertz explained. Everypony looked unconvinced. Rarity pouted as she twirled the box to and fro above Hertz. "R-really! They're like this because of their magic being drained away!"

"I don't like the sound of that..." Fluttershy said, timidly backing away. She stared at the floor, not wanting to accidentally look into a rogue unicorn's vacant eyes. "So, how are we going to get them out of here...?"

"Ooh! Ooh! I've got a forklift at home!" Pinkie said, waving her front leg about in the air. She paused for a moment. "But...how am I gonna drive it down here...? Hmm...that water'll make it tough. Oh...sorry everypony! That's not gonna work! Forget I just said that."

"No problem," Dash laughed creakily. Her eyes hadn't left the slumped Hertz. "And hey...thanks for pointing us in the right direction! Looks like we know the one we've gotta beat up now. Thanks a bunch, stupid."

"Hey! Stop callin' me stupid!" Hertz cried. Dash rolled her eyes in response. "My mistress believes in me so much that she left me in charge of making sure nopony collapses from exhaustion! She trusts me more than anypony!"

"Why _did _she leave you in charge a' anythin'?" Applejack said, narrowing her gaze at the unicorn. "If'n yer so easy ta' fool?"

"Oohh! It's because I've got lots of magic in me! So don't even _think_ I'm done fighting you all! I'll never give up! I'll defeat you all, for my mistress!" Hertz was steamed, her bloodshot eyes reduced to slits. She had fully arisen from the table and began backing away from it, her horn glowing. At this point Rarity smacked her over the head with the floating box. The bludgeoned unicorn's snout met the tabletop as she produced a moan. There was silence before she resumed rubbing her head again. "...O-on second thought, that's really starting to hurt. Pssh! What am I worried about anyway? You've got no chance against the mistress. Okay! So, I give up..."

"That's what I wanted to hear..." Fluttershy breathed. Rarity sighed airily, seeing that the antennae on the box now resembled badly bent paper clips. Confident that Hertz had no tricks left, she dropped the box.

"Well, I suppose if we can't get an apology, a surrender will do just as well," Rarity murmured. Hertz heard her enemy's magic dispel, and she shuffled back up with instantly renewed vigor. Upon seeing her box in shambles, though, she burst into tears.

"M-my...my theremin! You...augh...!" she wailed. "...I-I've had it ever since I was a little filly...! And you destroyed it! I'm never gonna forgive you for this!" Nopony paid any attention to the despairing Hertz. Instead, they looked to Twilight, who had moved past the stone table.

"Further down then, yeah?" she said to her friends. It was the first opportunity she had really gotten to view the area. The lighting was dim and prohibitive, and the sight of all the captured townsponies had been the only things on her mind. However, Twilight saw two rocky pathways past the center of the platform and beyond Hertz' table. They were suspended by shoddy looking stone columns, and both curved in the same direction. Downward, into the flowing stream of ethereal blue magic. Twilight looked over her shoulder to her friends. "Now, can you all see-"

"That blue gunk? Yes, ma'am," Applejack said, following Twilight closely. Twilight blinked and smiled.

"R-really? Oh, good! I guess the magic must be especially thick down here," Twilight said. She shivered as she looked down into the magic saturated abyss. "And that force...it's closer than ever before..."

"Think it's that mistress she was talkin' about?" Dash said. She was free-wheeling in the loose air, occasionally whipping through a ribbon of magic. Whenever she did, she would shake and flap a little slower.

"I'm still here!" Hertz called between anguished sobs. She had gathered up her theremin and was beginning to poke feebly at it with her snout. "And of course it's the mistress! Ohh, sh-she's gonna beat you all up, you know? If you're gonna try and stop her, she'll show you!"

"I hope she's calmer than you..." Fluttershy said, not even throwing a backward glance to Hertz as she shifted over to the stone pathway to follow her friends. "Maybe we'll be able to talk things out, like civilized ponies." Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash had already begun to descend, going ahead of the group. However, their breaking away was stopped by a quick scolding from Twilight.

"Hmph. Given who we've run into on this excursion, I think we'll be hard-pressed to find anypony that's polite," Rarity said, tossing her mane and leaving Hertz alone, cradling the rubbish pile of a theremin.

As the ponies proceeded further down the suspended path, the magic flow grew progressively denser. The eerie blue mist swept up onto the floor and chilled the ponies hooves, sending shivers up their spines. Even Rainbow Dash was forced to land. Her wings were shaking, watery droplets of pure magic weighing down the feathers.

Spheres of wispy energy periodically leapt up from the stream, carelessly flitting through the cold before returning below. The ponies pace slowed, some of them ducking to avoid wandering spheres. Twilight was leading the group, although she felt like dropping on the spot. An immense pressure bore down on her chest, head, and horn. Her hooves trudged sluggishly, as though she were wading through a particularly murky bog.

"Hey...what's it...whoa! Everypony!" Pinkie chirped. Her head was dangling over the edge of the pathway. Scared for her friend's well-being Fluttershy rushed over to Pinkie, although the earth pony snapped her head up before Fluttershy could get to her. "We're a-floating! Whooooosh!"

"What're you...?" Applejack murmured before going over to Pinkie too. The pony was barely a trot away from her. She gazed over the edge and choked. "Heey...weren't there some kinda pillars holdin' this up?" Everypony now joined Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie. The friends formed a gawking line of ponies, peering over the uneven brink of the path. Viewing the open space beneath them stung at their eyes as they were bombarded with torrents of icy magic. However, those that could keep their eyes open saw beneath the suspended path.

"It's...being carried? By all this magic, maybe...?" Twilight croaked. The magic flow obscured major details, but looking beneath the pathway yielded no trace of the creaky stone pillars that had been holding things up. Twilight shook her head, ruffling her moist fur. "Okay, but that's not important right now! We've gotta keep going! I can feel it...that force. It's so, so close now..."

_**"Indeed...I will wait no longer!" **_the commanding voice of the mare boomed in Twilight's skull. She felt a jerking sensation on her heart, and felt herself burst into a gallop. The muffled, confused shouts of her friends took a back seat to the orders of the unknown mare. Nothing turned green, but something far more frightening happened. Instead, Twilight's vision went completely dark. She couldn't feel her heartbeat, or any breath leaving her parched throat. Only her legs moving ever forward against her futile protests. She howled in silent torture from within her hijacked brain. _**"Release me, young pony...liberate me from this wretched prison! Only you can!"**_

"Here we go again!" Dash growled, neck-and-neck with Applejack, but unable to keep up with the possessed Twilight. "T-twilight! Snap out of it!" The unicorn was getting further and further. Not paying attention to details, the pursuing ponies didn't see the magic mist disperse, nor did they notice that jagged walls had shot up around them. From within the now confined space, Twilight continued to rocket forward, unable to listen to her screaming friends.

The frantic sounds of panicked hoof beats halted as the berserk Twilight came to a large, brilliantly lit room. The ceiling climbed high, looming over a titanic lake. That lake, the centerpiece of the cavernous place, flickered with mysterious, multicolored light.

Twilight stopped dead at the edge of the shore. By the time the other ponies found her, they slowed to notice the strange lighting. It was an otherworldly, spectral glow that emanated from countless complex lines etched into the floor. Through some unknown means, the lines spread onto the lake surface, carved into the sheet of water. A group of four large circles engraved with similar patterns hovered solemnly at the center of the lake. A hunched, barely noticeable figure was caught between them.

"Twilight? ...Twilight?" Applejack wasted no time upon finally getting her. She shook Twilight by the shoulders as she viewed milky white eyes. Twilight didn't budge an inch. "Can you hear me? Twi!"

"Wh-what...what're we gonna do...?" Fluttershy said. She got low to the ground, her eyes watering in fear and panic. Her body shivered, not from the cold or the unearthly presence that had slunk into everypony's hearts, but from the sight of seeing her friend in madness. "...What's h-happening to her...?"

"Twilight! Wake up!" Dash shouted. Her voice was shaking, but she fearlessly moved Applejack over and kicked Twilight square in the face. The unicorn stayed totally still. It was as if Rainbow had kicked a statue. Dash shook her head, her pupils shrinking. She stared hopelessly into Twilight wide, ivory eyes. "N-no...wake up! Wake up! C-c'mon, say something! A-anything...!" Dash kicked her friend again in desperation. Twilight still didn't budge. In fact, she showed no physical signs of even being kicked. Dash breathed heavily. "You've gotta wake up!"

"What's...?" Rarity was hanging back, a good distance away from Twilight. She was quivering like a cat that had recently been drenched in water. Pinkie Pie was clinging to Rarity out of pure, genuine unease. Her perpetual smile was ancient history. Instead, her eyes were closed while she emitted blubbering squeaks that made Fluttershy sound brave in comparison.

Twilight stood, unflinching, as she became wreathed in a swirling violet aura. Everypony backed off in spite of their worry. The magical aura was producing a foreboding pressure that kept everypony away. Twilight's eyes flashed as the violet light trickled down, filling the lines of the room and turning them a deep purple. A great, expelling wave swept through the cavern, carrying with it a hollow, monotonous pulse, akin to a gigantic bell being struck. The room flashed with white magic as the circles in the middle of the lake shattered. The frigid air sizzled, and everypony dropped, including Twilight.

A few agonizing seconds elapsed, and the cold temperature returned. At this, the ponies gathered the strength to open their eyes. Upon seeing Twilight moving and shaking in a heap, everypony blasted over to her, embracing her. She blubbered, trying to reach for words.

"What...? ...I was c-controlled...a-again? Everypony..."

"Ah' don't care about that! Don't matter now!" Applejack said, holding Twilight close.

"Twilight...you were...oh, thank goodness!" Fluttershy said amidst haggard panting.

"Don't go crazy anymore, kay? Pinkie swear?" Pinkie squealed, her voice high-pitched.

"You're safe, and that's all that matters." Rarity said, tenderly assuring both Twilight and herself.

"I...I was so scared, Twilight! N-nothing was working! I-I...I..." Rainbow Dash gibbered.

"Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. ...I am finally free," Twilight's eyes went wide. She had been savoring her body and mind's return, smiling and on the verge of tears. However, the unsettling, now horrifically familiar voice of the mare coming from outside her brain made her heart sink. She broke the warm hug with all her friends and turned to face the source. The middle of the lake. Where a plain brown mare floated. "Thanks to you...I am finally, truly free..."

"M-me? What...?" Twilight said, as she wobbled forward. Her friends stayed close at her side, though their eyes shared a common target. The mare at the middle of the lake, hovering many leaps and bounds ahead of them. "Why'd you need me...and just who are you?" The brown mare blinked sleepy brown eyes.

"...I am Majesty. I was the royal family's court magician, under the service of Princess Celestia, a long, long time ago," the mare explained, her voice much less powerful than what Twilight had previously dealt with. Everypony gasped upon hearing the princess' name. "That is, until she took it upon herself to seal me here." Majesty slowly approached the group standing on the lake edge. As she drew closer, everypony saw that her frame was enormous. The bulk came from her mess of a mane that billowed every which way. Twilight backed up out of instinct as Majesty floated towards the shore.

"Everypony...she's the one that's been-" Twilight began, but she found herself ushered behind five stalwart bodies. Her friends valiantly stepped forward to face the ominous, ancient mare.

"Hey! Ease off, you!" Applejack barked. Majesty faltered, her veil of hair waving about. Small tufts of red, blue, gold, and green spilled out from the several ragged ends. "Ah' dunno what yer problem is, but what've you been doin' ta Twilight?" Majesty paused.

"You have my apologies, Twilight Sparkle. However, it was necessary," Majesty said, not looking at any of the other ponies. Her eyes were half-lidded, condescending even, as she spoke in a soft, semi-monotone. "Even had I not assumed control earlier, it would have been required to break the seal at some point in time."

"'Necessary?' Don't make me laugh!" Rarity spat. "Nothing excuses what you've been doing to Twilight! I can only imagine how horrific it must've been. And to think, you would do it for your own selfish reasons!" Majesty shook her head.

"I had to get out. I cannot fathom how long I have been here, but I assure you it has been too long...and for little good reason, mind..."

"Ha! Celestia doesn't just seal things away for no good reason!" Dash said.

Miles away in Canterlot, Celestia was wide awake. Unable to get to sleep, she decided to banish a passing mosquito to the moon for no good reason. After waving her horn, her ears perked up and her eyes went wide.

"What's this all about, now?" she murmured to herself as Luna twitched in her sleep. She shrugged. "Well, as long as I've got _a_ reason, I suppose..."

"Mooooon..." Luna snored.

"So spill! What'd you do, anyway?" Dash pressed on, mustering up the courage to take a step towards Majesty.

"Nothing warranting sealing me away," she said. "Pegasus, I simply wanted to unlock the full potential of unicorns throughout Equestria. Equestria's magic, the Mystery Vein you observed back there, it has slept alongside me...and it yearns to reunite with the unicorns of this land."

"You make it sound like we're weak or something..." Twilight said, narrowing her own eyes at the flying unicorn. She noticed her horn wasn't glowing. Somehow, she was flying without using any active kind of magic.

"Not at all," Majesty said. Again, she only looked at Twilight, refusing eye contact with any of her friends. "You know for a fact that, unless a unicorn's special talent is magic, they are severely limited in their abilities, yes?" Everypony nodded absently. Twilight kept her gaze fixed upon Majesty.

"That's just how unicorns are," Twilight said through gritted teeth. "I don't know what you're implying, exactly, but I don't like it!"

"That is most certainly _not_ how unicorns are," Majesty quipped. Her tone was now dismissing. "Or rather, that is not how we are meant to be. We can achieve so much more, through this power that I command."

"That _you _command?" Pinkie said. Normally, she would've been hopping, but she shifted closer to Twilight's front, aiming to guard her. "What, you think you're some kinda big shot? Well, I don't buy it! Hey, how'd your hair get so long though?" Pinkie had been putting up a good serious act, which quickly melted. She returned to bouncing. "Magic? Magic hair conditioner? ...'Mare-conditioner?' 'Magi-conditi-bleh-blah?'" Majesty coughed. She couldn't help but stare at Pinkie Pie, and neither could everypony else.

"...Has earth pony intelligence devolved even further?" Majesty said. Applejack growled at this, while Pinkie landed flat on her hooves and frowned. Majesty snickered. "Hmph. Responding with anger before all else. Truly, that is the earth pony way."

"If ah' didn't know any better, ah'd say it's cause' ya think _yer_ better!" Applejack said. Her brow was furrowed as she flared her nostrils. Majesty raised an eyebrow. "Well, ya ain't! Yer just a unicorn! Though ah'm startin' ta see why Celestia corralled ya down here!"

"Yeah! It's cause she talks like a weirdo!" Pinkie said proudly. Applejack wilted, her hat drooping over her eyes. Dash flapped her lips.

"No! But I think I got what Applejack's talkin' about!" Dash said. Her wings were outstretched as she puffed up her chest, attempting an intimidating front. She whirled her head and looked to Majesty. "Yeah! Princess Celestia sealed you away because-"

"She's a big meanie..." Fluttershy said sourly. Dash diffused in a way similar to Applejack, her wings flopping to her sides.

"Indeed so! And that mane is...well, _I'd_ seal anypony away if they looked like _that..._" Everypony gave weird looks to Rarity. She stammered, composing herself. "...What? A simple joke. But if we're being honest here, it's an abomination. We're in agreement, I presume?"

"What have you got against earth ponies?" Twilight said, stepping out in front of her friends. They reluctantly let her go ahead, but they stood poised to jump in at any time.

"It isn't just earth ponies. I haven't a grudge in particular, at any rate," Majesty said derisively. "It's simply unfair that unicorns are kept so weak, while the other types of ponies are allowed their full potential. You do realize why Celestia couldn't have me free, yes?" Nopony answered, prompting Majesty to continue. "She did not want everypony to understand that, compared to unicorns, earth ponies and pegasi are...unnecessary."

"You crazy?" Applejack roared. "Ah' don't even think yer listenin' to yerself! How can you go an' say somethin' like that like...l-like it's nothin'?"

"Guess being all sealed up left her kinda loopy!" Pinkie said. She squealed and covered her mouth. "Oooh! I know I'd lose it if I had to stay in the same place for...well, long time anyways!"

"Hmm-hmm. I couldn't be more certain about what I'm saying," Majesty said. She had begun to chuckle darkly. Her long mane swirled and swayed with the tiniest movement. "I suppose you all are unfamiliar with the history of unicorns? I assume you learned ponies have lived in harmony ever since Celestia's rule?"

"Of course! That's just common knowledge," Rarity said. "Under Princess Celestia's and Princess Luna's rule, ponies have been united for-"

"Well, that _is _the sort of thing she would cover up, isn't it?" Majesty murmured, cutting Rarity's speech short. Though Majesty's tone was quiet, a rumbling pulsation rocked the air, making Rarity shudder and go silent. "Obfuscating the fact that unicorns were once feared for their 'unnatural' power. But..." Majesty gazed down to the group. She still wasn't looking anypony straight in the eye, apart from Twilight. "...It seems as though the times have changed. What rubbish."

"Listen here. I'm sorry if you lived in a time where things were backwards," Fluttershy said. She stepped towards the lake, but a sudden glare from Majesty sent her back. "...B-but you're right about the times changing. Everypony can live together in peace now...everything is fair, for everypony."

"That may be so, but that's only because unicorns were forced to make a sacrifice. Their magic. When Celestia sealed me away, she sealed away the majority of Equestria's magic! Don't you understand?" Majesty said. She was getting progressively angrier, her eyes quaking and her mane rippling. "Besides, I'd wager it was done only to appease those that were oppressing the unicorns. How, exactly, is that fair? ...I won't allow this injustice. I knew this was how Celestia would solve the problem..."

"So you're gonna give unicorns some kinda 'power' and wreak lots of havoc, huh?" Dash said. Her mane bristled with fury as her eye twitched. "Well you're crazier than I thought if you think I'm gonna let you do that! Nopony here will!" Everypony nodded in agreement, rallied by Dash's fervor. Majesty clicked her tongue apathetically.

"Do you really believe me to be that brutish? No. There will be no hostility," Majesty said. She grinned evilly. "But there will be returning, I assure you. I will return full power to the unicorns by releasing the Mystery Vein into Equestria. Over time, the duties of the earth ponies and pegasi will be obviously superfluous. At long last, unicorns will be at the reigns...so to speak." Applejack and Dash lobbed hateful growls and glares at Majesty as they pawed at the ground. She clicked her tongue again, unimpressed. "Are you angry? Angry because of the truth? You, Twilight Sparkle. You know this for certain! There is nothing the pegasi and earth ponies do that cannot be done through magic! This will be even more true, once the Mystery Vein is unleashed."

"Yeah, well, a world where unicorns run _everything?_ Sch-yeah! Count me out!" Pinkie said, her voice slurred as she blew spit everywhere. "I mean, that'd be kinda boring, huh? Where's the variety? The pizazz? The frou-frou? The fun and happy? Nowhere, that's where!"

"Of course an earth pony would say that," Majesty said, casting a grimace at Pinkie. It proved ineffective on the cheery pony, although she shot back a bug-eyed look in response, as though she were inviting a staring contest. "But you there, Twilight Sparkle. Does the idea of stronger magic not exhilarate you?" Majesty swept a front leg in front of her, beckoning to Twilight. "Being able to fly whenever you desire, being able to move mountains and hold the very stars before your eyes? You are an intelligent, strong unicorn. Surely, you hold the same desires as me? For flawless unicorns and stronger, tempered magic?" Twilight stood in silence. She had no wish to look at the floating unicorn before her. Her attempts at caring and understanding brought forth frothing rage in her gullet.

"...No. Not one bit," Twilight spat bitterly. Majesty did a double-take, her half-lidded expression unchanged, but her hoof drawing back to her chest. "You know what I 'desire,' Majesty? I just want to be able to go through my days knowing that I can see my friends. To know that I can make mistakes. To know that I'm not flawless. And to know that I can laugh my days away as I live within my boundaries, with the ponies I care about. I couldn't care less about stronger magic...not as long as I have them by my side!" Majesty hovered weakly, incredulous. Twilight and her friends drew closer, exchanging happy smiling faces. She floated backwards across the lake, her flowing mane skimming the clear water as she made for the center.

"Pity...a pity that such a powerful magician is so deluded," Majesty said. She stared at the featureless surface of the lake. "However, I suppose I will not stop you. Now then, if you will not aid me in my efforts, why don't you depart from this place? The unicorns up above should be released from their stupor, now that the seal has eroded. You and all of them are free to go. Now leave."

"O-oh? Really? Everypony, let's go then!" Fluttershy said. She tugged on Twilight's neck, but the unicorn wouldn't budge. Fluttershy looked puzzled. "U-umm...they're probably wondering what they're doing here, and-"

"Jus' a minute, hon," Applejack said, her voice stopping Fluttershy's retreat dead. She hadn't taken her eyes off Majesty, who was gathering magical blue energy from an unknown source. The pale silhouette of a large circle appeared behind her. "Now you wait right there! If'n ah' didn't know better, ah'd think yer lookin' ta' go outside."

"But of course," Majesty said from far away. "I simply must see the sun rise, for the first time in so long. And, the unicorns will want to meet the one that imbued them with their original strength."

"Don't think so!" Dash said, tapping at the floor. "If I were a unicorn, the first thing I'd do after hearing what you've got planned is kick you. Real hard. Where the sun don't shine."

"Believe me, Rainbow Dash, the prospect is inviting," Rarity said. She eyed the deep lake and pouted. "But you know, I've never been much of a swimmer."

"Whatever. Point is, we're not letting you leave!" Dash said. She pawed at the ground as Majesty extended her hooves. She ignored the pegasus as her mane fanned out, whipped haphazardly by a growing wind. Whimsical streams of blue magic tumbled through the air, making their way to the center of the lake. Dash's body twitched. "Hey! You listening? Don't even think that we're just gonna let you do what you want!"

"Yeah! You're seriously crazy!" Pinkie Pie said. "And it's not even the good kind of crazy! Like me, ya know? Charming crazy? Cutesy crazy? You're just crazy crazy."

"I think you ought to stop saying crazy," Rarity said. She noticed Pinkie Pie had begun to choke on her own tongue. "Really now. You're going to make it much harder to get serious. For the fight ahead, I suppose..."

"F-fight? Wait!" Fluttershy said. She got a glimpse of Majesty at the lake's center. "M-maybe we can still-"

"Fluttershy, that'd be real nice an' all," Applejack said, patting the pegasus' shoulder. Fluttershy was trembling with fear. A bizarre pressure was gathering in the room, and all the ponies could feel it through their uncontrollably shaking limbs. "But ah'm guessin' this here mare ain't gonna go without some kinda tussle."

"And what better time than now?" Dash said, grinning and taking to the air. She extended out a hoof in Majesty's direction. She blinked at the pegasus, her bored look not faltering. "Hey you! I've knocked the blocks offa plenty of ponies tonight! You're gonna be the last!" With that, Dash bolted for Majesty. The pristine lake water parted beneath her, disturbed by her speed. Twilight called out to her friend, her heart racing.

"Rainbow Dash, stop! Who knows what she can do?"

"Twilight! I got this, jeez!" Dash said, all too plant her hoof between Majesty's eyes. However, as she barreled towards her target, wind tearing at her squinted eyes, she caught the circular silhouette around the unicorn unfurling. Unfolding into four similar, slightly larger white circles. This sight, along with Majesty's psychotic grin and a huge wall of rising water forced Dash to make a lightning quick u-turn. Her face had stopped inches from the magically risen wall that ascended to the ceiling. She had been a blink away from being skewered on the countless water spikes that littered the wall. Turning in flight along the lake's edge, Dash scowled as she heard Majesty's low, demonic sounding laughter. Twilight winced and nearly screamed upon hearing it. It was identical to how Majesty had sounded in her head. The four towering glyphs that now flanked the ancient unicorn shone blue as the water wall loomed overhead.

"You do not understand the magnitude of what you face, pegasus," Majesty said. Her face exhibited no signs of anger, but rather, a sadistic shadow of playfulness. She flung out a hoof, manipulating the glyphs behind her as her mane was blown by another strong wind. "I can see that retreat is below you. But if you would attempt to impede my journey to the outside, know this...the punishment will be severe."

"Heh...you sound like my old school teach," Dash snickered before analyzing the imposing water wall. It was undoubtedly tall, but very skinny. Dash nodded absently as she circled the perimeter of the lake, ignoring the outcries of her friends. Her pace quickened, doubling every time she completed a circuit. Majesty watched in silence, her maniacal smile ebbing. After gathering enough speed to render herself a rainbow blur, Dash stopped in mid-air and charged from behind Majesty. Her swiftness was so blistering that Majesty's failed to clip her with another water wall. Dash zipped behind the newly formed tower effortlessly, but her blinding speed allowed for little accuracy. Dash ended up just grazing Majesty's flank as she dove between two of the huge glyphs and burst out of the wall in front. Luckily, the side facing Majesty wasn't covered in spines. Dash pricked ears caught her friends cheering, Twilight screaming, and Majesty cackling.

The pegasus' cocky smile disintegrated as Majesty's glyphs gleamed spring green. A monstrous, earth rending wind tore across the lake, spreading out from Majesty and her glyphs. It smashed the towers to bits, sending a volley of water spikes sailing outward. Dash was blown away by the unpredictable gale force wind, rolling through the air like a tree branch in a tornado. She wailed as she felt her lithe body get pummeled with heavy jets of water. The launched spikes from the wall had lost their form in the wind, but they struck with the force of slung boulders. Dash kept crying out in pain as she felt her whirling limbs, head, and mid-section crack sickeningly. She flapped madly, desperate to regain control, but the onslaught of wind made it impossible.

Only a few seconds of helpless flailing passed before the pegasus felt herself get caught in a levitation spell. She looked down to the shore. Twilight and Rarity kept her aloft, safely lowering her back down. Applejack and Pinkie Pie stood in front of Twilight, their naturally strong bodies providing a makeshift windbreak against Majesty's attack. Meanwhile, Fluttershy looked up, already surveying Rainbow Dash for wounds.

"Dashie! You can't just go out on your own!" Pinkie struggled to say. Her legs flapped ominously as she clenched her teeth, fighting against the windstorm. The force of the gusts sent lashes of water ripping over the shore's rocky horizon, and Pinkie yelped as the hard liquid slapped her sides. "But seriously everypony! Eee-hee! Youch! What're we gonna do? O-o-ooow!"

"Can't get close to her with all that water!" Applejack shouted, also enduring periodic hits from the water tendrils. "Twilight! Think you can reach her?"

"With what?" Twilight screamed over the howling winds. Dash groaned through her injuries. Big bruises were materializing beneath the light blue fur covering her joints, staining them dark purple. Fluttershy gasped as she knelt down over her friend. "Levitation? What's that gonna do? She's already levitated!"

"I dunno! Somethin' else! Anythin'!" Applejack screamed back. Finally she toppled over, her side showing bright red slash marks as water continued to spray over her battered frame. Pinkie Pie gasped, scrambling over to the fallen Applejack and protecting her from the vicious water projectiles. Fluttershy caught Applejack's hat in her mouth as tears appeared in the corners of her eyes.

"O-o-oh! We gotta leave! We have to!" Fluttershy said as she spat out the hat, weighing it down with a hoof. "We're in over our heads! We have to go! Now! Everypony, we've got to-"

"No...Fluttershy..." Dash choked out. She rolled over onto her side, struggling to stand up. One eye was forced shut by a violet and obsidian bruise. "We...we can't let her get out. You know what she'll do if she does...?" Fluttershy reached out to Dash, trying to get her to lay down. The wind kept ravaging the now huddled ponies. Stalagmite across the floor began to tear away from the earth, providing additional debris that the ponies had to duck and swerve to avoid.

"Yes...you may still escape, if you desire," Majesty said from the center of the lake. Her voice was amplified, audible over the screeching gale. "It is likely the best decisi-"

"No!" Twilight said, standing up and looking caustically at Majesty. She couldn't see her face, but she imagined it was a smug one. She struggled to move forward against the oppressing windstorm and the sounds of her thrashed friends. "I'm not gonna give up! None of us are! Princess Celestia put her faith in me, in all of us! She's depending on us to stop whoever's behind this! And that's you! I'm...I'm not gonna...let you win!" Twilight's felt a furnace light within her. She was sweating profusely, her teeth grinding so hard she could hear them wearing down in her ears. She couldn't see it, but her eyes were glowing white.

She hadn't conscientiously cast any sort of spell, but the wildly flying collection of debris and water threatening everypony came to a thundering halt. The wind perished with a tremendous boom. Majesty's feral, whipping hair fell below her. The glyphs surrounding her blinked green, then red, and then blue. When they reached a gold color, they began to cycle again. She examined them briefly, her mouth agape. Then she turned to Twilight, a smirk gradually growing wide on her face.

"Ahh...interference...? Hmph, I was afraid of that," Majesty droned. She was laughing slightly, her chest heaving. "Ha...do you see, Twilight Sparkle? Do you see the power the Mystery Vein has given you? The power to distort me, its conductor, if only for a brief moment! Yes...yes, you may indeed possess the ability to stop me!" Twilight was stunned. Her eyes dulled a little, although they retained a fraction of their blank white hue. She looked back to her windswept, fatigued, wounded friends. They looked at Twilight, speechless. They were shaking, perhaps out of fear, or perhaps out of bewilderment. Twilight sighed and faced Majesty, who had regained composure. "Don't you see...? In the end, only a fully powered unicorn can do battle with another fully powered unicorn..."

"Is that how it is..." Twilight said, staring at Majesty. The glyphs around her blinked idly as Twilight readied a spell. It was nameless, without thought or feeling. Her mind wandered. She wasn't grasping at anything in particular. She let her instincts churn as she worked to raise a protective circle of solid rock around her friends. They gasped as the rocks arose with incredible force, jutting out at odd angles. Fluttershy squealed as the web of rocks flashed, transforming into solid diamond in the blink of an eye. Twilight looked back, her jaw dropping. Rarity's face was aglow.

"Twilight...what say you and I start a rock garden when this business is all said and done...?" Rarity said, hushed by the wall of diamond crags that separated the group from Twilight. Majesty chuckled as Applejack flailed like a trapped zoo animal. Her hooves hammered at the wall, but she couldn't summon the strength to break the barrier.

"Twi! What're you doing?" Applejack cried. "Let us out! We're gonna help you, danggit!"

"Applejack...I'm sorry but...I gotta do this alone," Twilight said. A glimmer of a smile spread across her snout as she talked with grim clarity.

"What're you talkin' about? We're doin' this as a team!"

"What can you do, exactly?" Twilight said between hoarse breaths. Creating the diamond shield wore down on her like an iron saddle. Her lungs pressed against her chest, heavy as stone slabs. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry, but...she's right! I'm the only one who can fight her. Just promise me you'll stay back...stay back where it's safe..." Applejack shouted angrily, but her shouts turned to feeble grumbles as she was brought back to the center of the diamond cage by Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. They were looking to the floor, their heads hung. Dash was fighting to rise and speak, but the pain in her limbs prevented any communication, reducing her voice to scratchy gurgles. Twilight took another step towards Majesty, narrowing her eyes and breathing softly. "So...you ready...?"

"Are you proposing a magic duel? Ah, excellent!" Majesty said, clasping her hooves together. Her hair flared as the glyphs spun around and flashed bright crimson. A sudden heat gripped the room. The ample lake water beneath Majesty began to bubble. "Although I should warn you, the more skillful unicorn tends to prevail in these contests. Yes...you've most definitely got power on you, but I wonder. I wonder, do you really know how to wield it?"

"Doesn't matter. I know who I'm fighting for," Twilight said. "I've dismissed them. They might not like me very much right now, but I...I can't disappoint them further! Everypony...I'll take her down...I promise..." Twilight couldn't bring herself to face her friends, locked away behind the diamond guard. She imagine dejected, hurt faces staring at her. Turning around to see them for real made her heart ache, and her eyes well up. She sniffed, and brought herself low to the ground, horn glowing. "Trust me...everypony, please trust my decision..."

"And you...you'd best trust your magic, young Twilight Sparkle," Majesty said. The heat intensified as the glyphs grew brighter and more splendorous. "Yes, trust your magic! Your friends cannot help you now! Trust your magic, not them. It is all you have! Now come forth! Crush me, if you can!"


	9. Chapter 8

Twilight had no time to react as Majesty spun her glyphs around. One by one, they blasted spiraling jets of flame at her. She gasped as she felt her horn tremble. On instinct, she teleported out of harm's way in a bright purple flash. She ended up all the way on the other side of the lake, on a distant bank. The four flame columns crashed into the diamond wall that shielded Twilight's weakened, windswept friends. The magic surrounding the wall granted the contained ponies ample protection from the blistering heat.

As the flames faded away, Twilight gasped for air. The instant they collided with the diamond shield, she felt an immense pressure upon her stomach and skull. Her horn had been glowing the entire time, subconsciously keeping the wall intact. When the fire flickered out, the pressure strangely vanished as though it had never existed. Still, Twilight had to fight to stay on her hooves. Her glowing white eyes glimmered at Majesty, who turned to find Twilight on the bank behind her.

"Oh? A teleportation spell...? That's some advanced magic," Majesty mused to herself. She was casually tapping a hoof to her chin and smiling. "Hmm...not even I can do that. Tell me, might that be your special, inherent magic, Twilight Sparkle?"

"I-I guess? What does that matter?" Twilight half-shouted. Majesty sighed at this before commanding her glyphs, which twirled idly near her. They changed to blue, and the lake below glistened to match. Several water tendrils shot out of the calm surface, reaching for Twilight. They failed to find their target as Twilight had teleported to safety once again. The tentacles splattered as they hit solid rock, but something else was happening.

Twilight noticed it the instant she appeared on solid land. The purple flash of light caused by her teleportation had manifested into two bright spinning stars. They were about as large as Twilight herself, hanging in the air where she had been. Their stubby arms sliced the encroaching water tendrils to ribbons before homing in on Majesty, who's mouth hung open. She reacted, swinging a front leg and collecting her glyphs, which fortified and blocked the stars. Their bladed arms tore at the circles, but after a moment of electronic hums the stars splintered into useless wisps of purple. Twilight stammered, awed at what she had done.

"Hmm! Already on the offensive, are we?" Majesty said, shifting towards Twilight again. The brown mare slashed a hoof through the air, changing the glyphs to scarlet. They gyrated, hovering above Majesty. They paused before firing a volley of fat fireballs into the air, which proceeded to rain down to pummel the lake and land. Twilight caught a salvo of fireballs in a luminous shield of purple light. However, a collection of shots also careened into the diamond wall. Twilight's friends shrieked as the fire chipped away several edges. Pinkie Pie leapt out of the path of a hot diamond splinter. Pulling Rainbow Dash out of the way, she found the tip of her fluffy tail smoking. Majesty smirked upon seeing the panicking Pinkie Pie hurry to extinguish her tail. "Well, that's bound to happen when you devote more magic to your own defenses..." Majesty commented, like a teacher pointing out the flaws in a student's work. Twilight scowled as Majesty laughed some more. "But don't despair! If you had dedicated magic to protecting them, you'd end up charbroiled! Do not misunderstand me! That was a smart move you just made."

"What is she talking about?" Rarity said. Majesty's voice was a bit muffled by the thick diamond plates, but she remained audible to the helpless ponies. "Meaningless dribble, I'd assume!"

"Prob'ly just that," Applejack sighed, rubbing at the sore red marks on her side after stamping out Pinkie Pie's tail. Pinkie gave a big breath of relief, her tongue flopping out. "Blowin' smoke. Er fire, ah' guess."

"She's...she's toying with her," Fluttershy murmured. "This is all just a game to her. A show..."

"I know, right?" Pinkie said. She cupped her hooves and shouted to Twilight, who could hear her just faintly. "Heeey, Twiiii! Quit playing around and knock her block off! I wanna go hooooome!"

"I think she meant..._she's _playing around with Twilight," Dash managed to say. She ignored her big bruises and shakily got up, helped by Fluttershy. She gestured to Majesty. "What a load...th-this is ridiculous! Twilight! Let us out! You can't fight her by yourself!" Rainbow Dash rammed into the diamond wall without thinking, tearing away from Fluttershy's grasp. Fluttershy flinched as Dash hit the wall with a hollow thunk. The bruised pegasus rubbed her head. "O-ooww...you lost your mind, Twilight? We're doing this _together_, as a team!"

"N-no...I'm the only one who can..." Twilight stammered to herself. She teleported again, avoiding another four blasts of searing flame from Majesty. When she disappeared, another pair of homing stars emerged, but the torrents of fire quickly incinerated them. Twilight winced. "You all...you'll just get hurt..."

"What'd she say?" Pinkie Pie said squeakily. She picked at the blackened tip of her tail and spun it around like a lasso. "Something about yogurt?" Twilight's voice was too soft for anypony to hear clearly. "Twiiiiight! Yogurt's not gonna help! But I heard it feels good on bruises and stuff." Pinkie looked discreetly at Dash and whistled. "Admit it. You all wanna try that now too."

"Oh stop that, Pinkie Pie! This is serious!" Rarity snapped. Pinkie Pie drew a hoof over her mouth, producing a zipper-like sound. "Rainbow Dash is correct Twilight! This is preposterous! Release us at once, so we can help you!"

"No...she was right earlier! Don't you see? Everypony! Only _I _can fight her!" Twilight repeated hopelessly as she teleported out of the way of miniature tornadoes erupting from jade colored glyphs. The stars produced by Twilight's teleportation were swiftly blown away, vanishing into violet blobs as they hit a back wall. "Fight magic with magic!" She panted between labored breaths as she blinked into view on the edge of a bank. Her fur was in shambles, and her sweat sopped bangs flopped over bloodshot eyes. Majesty looked none the worse for wear, continuing to pelt powerful spells from the lake's center. "...Th-that's...the only way to win..."

"If that's your excuse, then you could at least let _me _out!" Rarity said gratingly. Everypony in the group looked to her, incredulous. She withered, chuckling wryly. "I-I mean, I'm no expert but...oh for goodness sake! You simply can't keep this up alone!"

"You certainly aren't helping her to reach victory. Why don't you stay there and be silent?" Majesty said, shooting an annoyed glare at the group behind the transparent diamonds. They reacted not with intimidation, but with looks of rage. "You should be glad she's trying to save your lives. Granted, if she just left you to perish, she'd probably be able to-"

"To what?" Twilight roared. Majesty actually flinched, and slowly looked to Twilight's direction. The purple unicorn was breathing heavily, her voice cracked as barren, drought plagued soil. "Are you really suggesting that I abandon them? No...I'm gonna protect them from you, and defeat you! All...all at once..." Majesty raised an eyebrow and huffed.

"Noble, but unrealistic," Majesty said. She began to raise another hoof, the glyphs shuffling between their four colors. Twilight exhaled parched breaths, completely dumbfounded as to what the mare would lob at her next. "You see, Twilight Sparkle, your magic is very strong. There is no doubt there, but you've no idea how to manage it. You're swinging blindly, and it's painfully obvious. Here I was, getting my hopes up for a good magic duel. Perhaps I overestimated you, thinking your raw power might overwhelm me." Majesty looked to her glyphs and swung her hoof when they reached a resplendent gold.

The ground shook, and Twilight's yelled in terror as she saw the stone floor erupt into a field of countless, needle sharp spines. Panicking, she teleported, but soon found herself on another bank that was littered with the same spines. They would puncture the earth, retract, and then emerge in different, randomized spots. Twilight tripped and hit a smooth section of floor. She just knew a spine would appear from below her, spearing her and ending her life right then and there.

The pounding of rocky spikes cutting through the floor soon subsided, though, and Twilight shambled up at Majesty's voice. A sweltering heat was before her, and she backed up slowly over the now cracked, craggy ground. A massive lance made of flame floated right in front of her eyes. Sweat poured off her body as she moved away, but the lance followed her every move. Twilight spied Majesty, who hadn't budged from her initial spot.

"That's game over, Twilight Sparkle. You know, I could have ended it right there. I truly could have. But...I cannot take another unicorn's life. Not one of your potential..." Majesty said. The flame lance hovered in the air ahead of Twilight's vision, conducting her movements and not allowing her a step forward. She gulped, but had no saliva in her mouth to swallow. "Leave, now. Leave here with your friends that are so dear to you. Then...then go and tell your princess. Let her know I have returned, and that there is nothing she can do to stop me now. Now that I am in command of the Mystery Vein, of Equestria's magic flow, I am...invincible." Twilight growled, still staring down the flame lance. But her eyes slammed shut, unable to take the heat as she gave a despairing whimper. Twilight lowered her head, splattering the ground with her angry, hopeless tears. She felt her magic leave, her horn and eyes losing their luster.

"Is this it...? Have we come so far just to lose...?"

"No! I won't let you leave here!" shouted Fluttershy. Majesty's flame lance twisted violently. It burst into a shower of cinders as its creator cried out. Twilight raised her head to see Majesty darting out of the way of a yellow blur. Fluttershy had somehow escaped from the diamond cage, lunging at Majesty and going straight for her head. Upon missing, Fluttershy twirled in the air, dancing around a barrage of magically catapulted water jets. After turning gracefully to avoid the attack, Fluttershy landed on a nearby bank and screamed at Majesty, her eyes enormous and twitching. "You're not invincible! But you _are_ a big, fat jerk!" She bobbed and weaved like a talent gymnast through slung whips of fire before taking off again, berating Majesty throughout. "After hurting Twilight like that, after all she went through to protect us...h-how dare you think we're gonna let you get away with this?" Fluttershy flew for the lake center, diving at Majesty yet again. Once more, the unicorn got out of Fluttershy's path just by a hair. However, she hadn't accounted for Rainbow Dash soaring just behind her. The wounded pegasus smashed into Majesty's back, sending her tumbling into the lake. The giant glyphs hung uselessly in the air, blinking erratically. Dash gave a cheer, flying over to Fluttershy. The two barely had time to bump hooves before Majesty emerged from the lake, soaking wet and furious. Her once condescending and controlling look had been replaced by pure wrath.

"You...how did you...?" Majesty said, quivering as her cape of mane dribbled countless streams of grimy water.

"My spell..." Twilight croaked. She was looking over to the bank where she had placed the diamond wall. It had toppled to the ground, now a broken pile of slag. Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rarity sprinted for Twilight as fast as their sore legs would carry them. They were well covered by Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, who continued to distract Majesty. They were blurs of yellow and blue, consistently dodging and flying over fierce shots of flame, water, and wind. Whenever Majesty would face Twilight, she would be accosted by a pegasus, forcing her to return attention to them. Twilight found Applejack's front leg on her shoulder. The unicorn was speechless, staring at the ground.

"Hey, Twilight! I said don't go crazy anymore!" Pinkie said, sliding under Twilight's hung head and placing a hoof beneath the unicorn's chin. She propped Twilight's head up. "Trapping us like that? That's the _craziest_ thing you could've done, ya know?"

"Honestly, Twilight," Rarity said. "It's the job of the _villain_ to imprison the hero's friends for the final battle. What hero does that herself? I would think you've read enough books to know that." Twilight remained mute before being knocked on the head by Applejack. The hollow clunk of hoof against skull sent her eyes whirling.

"Hello? Gonna say somethin'?" Applejack said, managing a smile. She looked into Twilight's eyes, hoping for some kind of reaction. "Look. You've got yer magic an' all, but what about us? We're just as good in a fight as yer magic is!" Twilight blinked. Applejack shook her head and continued. "Keepin' us locked up? Well, that's only hurtin' yerself! An'...an' us too..." Twilight's eyes went wide at this as she fumbled for words. Her rocky throat provided no assistance.

"I was...I was only trying to keep you safe..." Twilight said, her voice laden with shame. Her gaze returned to the floor. "I'm...everypony was hurt...I didn't want things to..."

"We're gonna get hurt, Twi," Applejack said. "Ain't gonna be no other way about it, against somepony like that! But look at yerself! Yer plenty hurt too. How d'ya think it feels, watchin' somepony close to ya get hurt and not bein' able to do anything?" Applejack mimicked Pinkie's earlier move placing a gentle hoof beneath Twilight's chin and lifting her head up. "We're fightin' together, an' that's that. Got it?" Twilight looked to all her friends. To Applejack, to Pinkie Pie below her, to Fluttershy and Dash grappling with Majesty, and to Rarity, just behind Applejack. She looked up on her own accord as Applejack removed her hoof and smiled bigger.

"You're right..." Twilight said, tossing her filthy bangs out of her eyes, which blazed with blistering passion. "Of course...how could I have been so stupid? You're absolutely right, Applejack! I'm...I'm sorry."

"Great! Now let's get her!" Pinkie Pie said. She made for the lake, but stopped at the edge, puzzled. "Umm...question! How do we get her?"

"Like this, I suppose," Rarity said. She picked up a few discarded stalagmites around her, levitating them just above her head. She shrieked as they flashed white, her horn gleaming platinum. When the flashing light subsided, Rarity's eyes met three floating spears made of glistening diamond. She stuck out her lower lip as she tore her eyes away from her bedazzling creations. "Oh...do I really have to...?" Everypony gave her half-lidded stares, and she sighed, withering. "Well, if I must..."

Rarity's eyes shimmered before she waved goodbye to the diamond lances. She casually flicked her horn, sending them sailing across the lake. They went for Majesty like fired arrows. Majesty caught this new attack out of the corner of her eye and directed a glyph to her side. The circle intercepted the spears, shielding Majesty and forcing the projectiles into the lake with a great splash.

The strength of the blow managed to knock Majesty back. Straight into Fluttershy's path. The bright yellow streak rammed into Majesty's stomach and soared past, sending the unicorn nearly plummeting into the lake again. Fluttershy flew straight up, rubbing her temples as she continued clumsily upward. Dash whistled as she circled the dizzied Majesty from a safe distance.

"Whooo! Never knew you had that in ya, Fluttershy!" Dash said as she flew around a number of fireballs. Majesty had already regained her balance, but she was having trouble keeping up with the acrobatic pegasi. Her head whipped around, her long hair rippling rhythmically beneath her. Her panting grew hoarse and frustrated as she tried again and again to hit the quick targets whizzing around her. She was losing her composure as the majority of her shots ended up misaligned, caused by her having to strafe out of the way of more diamond lances.

Majesty felt something buzz past her ear. It turned out to be a large, purple star with bladed arms. Majesty grimaced and twirled to face the bank that had once held Twilight. Now only Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity were occupying it. Majesty shouted as two more stars flew out of nowhere, their presence impossible to detect with the pegasi flying about. She then saw Twilight appear near her three friends on the bank. She was smirking through heaving breaths.

"So...it's whenever I teleport, huh?" Twilight said. Though she was talking to herself, her eyes were focused on Majesty, who looked on in horror. Her head snapped away from Twilight as she moved to dodge Fluttershy, who shot through the air like a cannonball. "Okay then..." Twilight flashed a grin before blinking away in a flash of purple. A pair of equally purple stars were generated before automatically flying at Majesty. The mare barely had time to fly to the side before another pair of stars cut into the cold, magic-laced air to strike her. She raised a glyph to deflect the stars, but a bundle of four more shot across the lake, spinning at her relentlessly. Majesty directed another glyph to block their path, but she became helpless as a barrage of stars began to close in from all directions. Majesty felt their pointy arms dig into her fur before exploding into violet magic. Her eyes rolled back into her head as the countless explosions knocked her around like a rag doll. As she fell back into the water, she caught the pegasi floating up above. They had triumphant looks on their faces as they let Twilight pummel Majesty with star after star.

Overexerted, Twilight teleported back to Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. She collapsed, unable to conjure up any more energy. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash descended going over to their drained friend. The world was swimming around her, colors blending disgustingly as she barely managed to keep her eyes open. She heard a melange of babbling, the voices of her concerned friends calling out to her. Twilight stood as things gradually became clearer. She looked to the lake, as did everypony. The glyphs hovered over the spot where Majesty had been. They blinked slowly, shifting through colors. They appeared very dull, ugly, even, compared to their normal, lustrous glow.

"Did we...did we get her...?" Twilight said. It was more of a plea than anything. Nopony responded. The lake was quiet, the small ripple where Majesty had fallen spreading out to the edges. The glyphs continued to blink, unsure of what to do next. Everypony watched, and sighed in relief.

Their deep breaths and would-be cheers were cut short, however, by the sudden, violent churning of the lake water. Everypony screamed as Majesty arose from the lake. Her expression was one of primal agitation, a hideous mixture of disbelief and brutality. Her flowing mane spread apart into jagged, drenched tendrils of brown hair, and her massive eyes glared pure blue. Her mouth rolled open as her glyphs shifted upright again. They were shining the same, ominous color as her eyes

"No...no...I will not be kept here!" Majesty bellowed. Her voice was harsh beyond measure, dwarfing the volume of a trumpeting elephant. She raised a hoof to her side, and the glyphs cast a glint of azure across the lake. "I have been here too long! Nopony...nopony will keep me here!" She slashed her hoof down. In an instant, the lake water exploded upward with a thunderous roar. It descended upon the land with crushing force. Twilight thought quickly as the wave approached, stretching to the ceiling. She readied her horn and a large pink bubble of magic surrounded the group, guarding them from gallon after gallon of ruinous water. Twilight and her friends could see nothing but rushing blue from within the sphere.

Eventually the water stopped coming. Twilight lowered the saturated bubble and looked at what should have been a waterless crater. Instead, everything in the lake had been replaced by a swirling sea of blue magic. The room had been darkened to a frightening indigo, rendering things shadowy and featureless. The only light spilled from the luminous magic flow, which surged like a sea at storm.

Majesty raised her hoof again, turning the glyphs spring green. The magic below her reflected the change, shifting color along with the large circles and bathing the room in a noxious glow. A desolating wind swept across the room. On instinct, Twilight raised her bubble again to prevent everypony from being blown away.

"Great. Back to square one!" Rainbow Dash said, spitting. The bubble creaked and hummed as it guarded against both furious winds and propelled blades of green magic. The shards carved giant gashes into the rock walls, ripping away chunks of stone and carrying them in the gale. "Now what? Same like before?" Everypony looked to Twilight. Her eyes were chalk white again, drawing upon more magic than was comfortable. The weight on her chest and horn multiplied as she staved off wind, flying rock, and razor sharp shards of magic.

"Wh-what...? Ahh..." Twilight got what they meant, and turned to look at them. Her head twitched sickeningly as a large fragment of rock collided with the barrier. "You mean...what I did earlier? That...that interference she was talking about...?"

"I-if you can..." Fluttershy said. She looked Twilight up and down, and shuddered. Her fur was so damp with sweat that it drooped greasily instead of sticking out at odd ends. Deep, black circles were forming beneath her eyes. "But...but maybe you shouldn't! Twilight...you have to think of yourself-"

"No...no, I won't," Twilight said, firmly shaking her head. Fluttershy had been approaching, but backed away at this. Twilight winced as the howling wind reverberated in her ears, and as another big rock piece came hurtling against the bubble. "If I can stop this...I'll do whatever I have to..."

"But, h-how did ya?" Applejack said, her voice bogged down with coughs. Her throat must've been exceedingly dry. "A-ah' mean...d'ya even know how ta' work it? That magic, ah' mean?"

"No...but, it can't be that hard. I just gotta...get mad..." Twilight assured herself quietly. She closed her eyes tight. She thought of Majesty, out in the world above and doing as she pleased. She imagined a vivid picture of her friends wounded, suffering. She imagined herself as the only one left. The images proved too much, and she screamed. "No! Majesty! I won't let you get what you want!" The bubble dissipated, but it wasn't through lack of magic. It was the result of a tremendous shock wave, produced by Twilight's shout. Majesty wavered. The glyphs lost their sheen, the wind died instantly, and debris tumbled out of the empty air. For that moment of peace, the magic flow below Majesty became light purple, the same color as Twilight's fur. Majesty growled before screaming in anger and overwhelming power. The wind picked up again.

"No! You upstart! I will not...I will not yield to you, Twilight Sparkle!" Majesty cackled. Her brow was furrowed as she laughed maniacally, hysterically. The wind intensified, but Twilight stamped her hoof, bringing it to a halt again. Majesty's hair bristled, whipping around her petite form. "I yield to nopony, Twilight Sparkle. I yield to nopony! I will not be kept here! I will not be kept here!" Majesty's voice became low and demonic, sending chills and earthquakes across the battle and magic scarred cavern. She resumed the windstorm, which was amplified at least three times beyond normal strength. Twilight heard something amidst the howling and shrieking. A crack. The trembling, quivering magic mist below Majesty ripped at her eyes, but she kept them open to see the unicorn. She was more focused on the glyphs. A tiny, but noticeable crack had appeared in the topmost one. Twilight gave a little grin.

"Keep it up, Twilight...keep her going..." she said to herself. She stomped again, quelling the gale and turning the magic flow purple. She had steadily been approaching Majesty, leaving the lake edge behind. She stood atop the magic flow itself. It kept her aloft, although it stung at her. Her body felt as though it were being jabbed with frigid needles, while the ground itself felt cold as an ice floe. Though the magic churned and raved, corresponding with Majesty's own mid-air contortions, it proved surprisingly solid. Twilight heard another crack. The glyph to Majesty's left continued to shine and sing. It was hard at work, despite the new big fissure right down the center.

"I will not...be kept here..." Majesty repeated as she grabbed at her face. Her hooves slid down her snout, stopping at her neck. She didn't seem to notice the damages done to her glyphs. She was too focused on Twilight, who was nearly right in front of her. She lashed her hooves out, resuming the gale. The wind tore away a massive piece of ceiling. The room shook as its foundation began to weaken.

The uncontrollable wind sent the gigantic rock slab through the air, barreling towards Twilight's friends. They were pinned down by the force of the wind, and their screams didn't escape Twilight's ears. She whipped her head around, feeling her own body lifted and thrown by the rending gale. Her fur was torn at repeatedly as her eyes went wide. She saw Rarity, struggling with all her might to hold the rock fragment up.

"Everypony! Hold on!" Twilight shrieked as she cast the pink bubble spell at the bank, at her friends. It rose up around them, deflecting the rock as Rarity gratefully released her own magic. Twilight, however, was now back on the edge of the lake. Majesty gave a deep, horrid laugh.

"You see? See how far back you are, now? If you had simply ignored them..." Majesty began before Twilight turned to face her. Her furious eyes flashed ivory.

"Shut up! You coward! You'll regret ever trying to hurt them!" Twilight screamed over the wind and chaos. She stamped her hoof, forcing the magic flow to flicker between green and purple. She charged at Majesty, sliding across the magic filled lake surface and aiming her horn at the unicorn's chest. She was stopped in mid-air, a layer of crackling violet and blue magic forming between the two unicorns. Twilight was held in the air, suspended as she tried to break through to Majesty. She couldn't see around her to survey the glyphs. She had no idea how much more her foe could take, but she felt her own limits bearing down on her. She felt weak pulsations within her chest. She felt her breath ringing in her ears. She felt magically charged oxygen burn her throat. She looked up, getting an eyeful of Majesty's emotionless face. Her eyes were still shining blue as she gazed down to the steadily weakening Twilight.

"How pitiful. Did you really think you ever stood a chance, little Twilight Sparkle?" Majesty said. The wind imploded inwards, forming a sphere of agonizingly fast winds that made hurricane feel like a summer breeze. It encased the unicorns, locking them against one another as Twilight thrashed, desperate to break through the thin, but tremendously strong film of magic. "Hmph...you really ought to learn your place..."

"Twilight!" the purple unicorn heard Applejack's shout. Twilight would've angled her head back to look, but her neck was locked. She could only see Majesty's chest and head before her. The details around her had been reduced to shadow. Something similar to sleep began to cloud her mind as her head drooped, the world around her growing fuzzy. In spite of the weakness, she managed to shout back.

"A-applejack! Everypony stay back!" Twilight screamed. Her heartbeat was growing ever slower. Another crack sounded, lagging and heavy as lead in her ears. "I can...I can...I've...almost...got..."

"No! None a' that nonsense!" Applejack cried. Hoof beats echoed across the solid magic flow. To Twilight, everything was echoing endlessly. Applejack must've run forward with the strength of a freight train as she nearly slid right into Twilight, pushing her forward just slightly. Twilight gasped and Majesty shrieked as a new sight came into view, lightly lapping at her watery eyes.

"Magic? F-from where?" Majesty stammered. Her call remained loud and booming, but it had suddenly lurched upward. She recoiled just a bit, keeping the film of magic fortified and holding Twilight at bay. "I-Impossible...! You! Earth pony! Where are you drawing that magic from?"

"Applejack...?" Twilight nearly whispered. She managed to tilt her head to the side, spotting Applejack in her peripherals. The earth pony was struggling next to Twilight, a warm orange aura emanating from her. Twilight saw a trio of thick red lights pouring from Applejack's cutie mark.

"Yer not doin' this by yerself!" Applejack said through gritted teeth. Her tone wasn't one of exhaustion. Instead, it oozed determination as she glared at Majesty. "And you...yer not gonna hurt Twilight anymore!" Twilight felt some of her waning strength return as two more cracks sounded out. Majesty applied more pressure, pushing her hooves and the magic forward. Twilight thought to herself, staring up at Majesty.

"Trust my magic, Majesty...? That's how I would beat you, huh...?" Twilight said, smiling big before looking to her side. Applejack caught Twilight's look and winked. "I don't need to...not when I've got them!" Twilight threw off Majesty's hold for a moment and turned back. She saw her friends, standing huddled on the bank of the lake, bracing against the oppressing winds. "Everypony...! Help me!"

Twilight turned bravely back to Majesty after seeing Pinkie Pie dash forward. The pony had reached the center of the lake within seconds. The pink glow shining from her was enough evidence to guess this. Only a few more seconds had passed before Twilight saw a sky blue light up above, with a pale yellow light pulsing next to it. When a pure white light joined the display, Twilight looked around. She saw all her friends, flanking her and pushing forward in perfect unison. Majesty tried feebly to force the magic film back against them. It absorbed broad sparkling streams of multicolored energy before beginning to distort. The occasional cracking sound had given way to a chorus of hearty snaps. Twilight could move her whole body freely now, rejuvenated by the magic light of her friends. The glyphs persisted, still glowing brightly, but a spiderweb of cracks ravaged all four. Small chunks of a magical, glass-like substance began to chip away.

"No...I won't...be kept here!" Majesty growled. Tears were streaming from her eyes as she tore at her hair. The film of magic was crumbling. The mist below was thinning. "I won't be kept here...I won't be kept here...I won't...I won't! I...I...!" Majesty let out an anguished wail as a veritable dragon's roar came from the glyphs. At long last, they shattered into billions of tiny fragments. The pulsating floor became littered with glossy pieces, which the fading magic flow greedily lapped up. Majesty's eyes were wrenched open, staring blankly into space. They had returned to their brown color as she slowly descended, frozen and powerless. A dropping sensation engulfed everypony before the surrounding world fell to a curtain of blackness.

"Mistress...? Mistress...!" Twilight awoke to a familiar gruff voice some ways away. She rubbed her head as she got to her hooves. Looking up, she saw curved rocky walls around her and her similarly groaning, exhausted friends. The bottom of the lake held only a few sparse puddles of opaque water, and the tremendous magic flow had vanished without a trace. Twilight looked ahead to see Hertz, desperately shaking Majesty. The brown mare lay motionless. "Mistress, wake up! You said you'd be waking up soon! You promised..."

"This is unheard of...unreal! Like something out of a dream! Or nightmare. Take your pick," Anima's voice said. Twilight hadn't noticed the green mare pacing along the side of Majesty opposite Hertz. Somehow she had acquired a new mantle.

"Is master...sad...?" Landscape said. She sat on her haunches from behind Anima's position, curiously following her master's movements. A light orange patch of clay skin had been placed across a big chunk of her chest, and her black mane had been regrown.

"Well, not particularly..." Anima said, stopping to look at Landscape. "Bewildered would be more appropriate. ...Eh...? Oh, and speaking of which, look. They're awake." Bored sounding, she gestured to Twilight and her friends, who were gathering the strength to get up, one by one. "I suppose that means we're doomed then, yes?" Hertz leapt away from Majesty, growling like a rabid dog.

"You all! You did this?" her voice cracked with anger and bemusement. "How...? You...you'll pay for hurting the mistress! Anima! Let's beat em' up!"

"Well, I've got nothing better to do," Anima said, shrugging. She leapt back and slashed a front leg forward, directing Landscape to Hertz' side. The golem pony struck a low battle pose before twitching and falling over onto her back, whimpering. Hertz stammered as Anima shrugged again, this time matter-of-factly. "Hmm, that's enough of that I suppose. Hertz, what exactly are you proposing, you imbecile? What makes you think we've got a chance if even _Majesty_ couldn't defeat them...?"

"I...well, we-we've gotta do _something!_" Hertz blubbered, chastising Anima. The green pony paid no attention, instead straightening her glasses.

"You will do nothing, Hertz," Majesty said. She rose, her long mane blanketing her body. Hertz jerked her head back as her eyes sparkled with joy.

"M-m-mistress?" Hertz squealed, running over to Majesty. The battered mare blinked in response. "I...oh...my...umm...h-hi! I've waited so long to meet you, mistress! I've...umm...wow...now I don't know what to say! Heh, go figure!" Majesty blinked again, totally lost for words.

"...At any rate, I cannot fight any longer...never, _never _have I felt so weak," Majesty said sluggishly. Every word sounded taxing. She turned to the group of victorious, but still very injured and tired ponies. Their eyes were transfixed upon Majesty. Even Rainbow Dash's and Applejack's, who had gotten into low battle positions the instant Landscape had. "...I cannot stop you...I can hardly move. Go...go on and alert your princess..."

"That won't be necessary," Celestia's voice called out before a flicker of sunlight appeared in the space separating Twilight's group from Majesty's. Everypony gasped in awe as Princess Celestia stepped out of the pillar of light and flame. It ebbed away as she shook her perfectly groomed mane. She faced Twilight and her friends, who were bowing in respect. She gave a big yawn. "Really, now. Everypony, must you bother with formalities?"

"Second nature, yer highness..." Applejack choked out before doing a landing on her snout, her legs too wobbly to support her. Her hat flew out in front of her as everypony followed suit in utterly collapsing. "...But umm...don't think ah' could stand much longer if ah' wanted..."

"Seconding that!" Pinkie Pie mumbled, her mouth full of gravel. Celestia chuckled at Pinkie Pie's words, but her smile evaporated as she saw the state her subjects were in. She let out a little gasp as she shook her mane again.

"Oh my...everypony, you have my apologies," Celestia said. "I should have intervened. No, I should have solved this matter myself. I was suspicious as soon as strange magic began to interfere with Luna's work, but-"

"Please, princess! We couldn't have you risk yourself like that!" Twilight gurgled. The sound of Celestia's worry energized her just enough to hop up and fall right back down again, her flank waving in the air. She sighed groggily. "Just tell us we did a good job..." Celestia blinked before smiling proudly.

"You did a fine job, my faithful student. You, and all your friends did spectacularly," Celestia said. Everypony let out huge sighs of relief and pleasure. "Without you, I don't know if this incident would've been resolved."

"It isn't. Not yet," Majesty said. She sauntered out, heading for Celestia. The princess turned to the mare that was barely recognizable to her. "You've returned to seal me up again, isn't that right? That's the only reason you showed your face, isn't it? Admit it..."

"No! No you can't!" Hertz said, darting out in front of Majesty. She stared up at Celestia, who's great height was more than imposing to the meager unicorn. She trembled and gulped. "Y-you'll...h-h-have to go through me f-first..."

"Oh? Is that so?" Celestia said. Her eyes narrowed, as though issuing a challenge. Hertz giggled weakly, whipping her head around and spying Anima. The mare had Landscape by the scruff of her neck and was trying to sneak out of view.

"A-anima! Get over heeeere!" Hertz wailed. Anima groaned, stomping on over. Landscape followed her like a lost puppy. "I can't take her by myself!"

"Hertz...you know something? I think I understand you better now. Yes, I now understand that you have a death wish!" Anima said. She stopped before looking slyly at Celestia. Her slits of eyes portrayed the desire to spit at her. She threw a hoof forward, directing Landscape. The golem pony loyally jumped ahead of her master. "...Then again, I _do _have a bone to pick with you, princess."

"Hmm? And what might that be?" Celestia said airily.

"I think you know full well," Anima said. Landscape fell onto her back again, overcome by a twitching fit. Anima sighed as she tried ordering the golem wordlessly. "My special talent is creating golems. A 'dangerous' type of magic. Forbidden, even? Are those words ringing any bells?"

"None that immediately come to mind," Celestia said glibly.

"Well, I would've most certainly been shunned for practicing my special talent. Seen as a pariah for attempting dangerous magic, declared taboo by order of the princess herself," Anima lectured. Celestia looked confused before nodding in comprehension. She certainly seemed sincere. "So I escaped here. Mistress Majesty allowed me to perfect my technique, as opposed to condemning me for it. You may not have ordered it personally, but you more or less forced me here. Understand?"

"Ah. Well I am sorry about that..." Celestia said absently. Her nodding continued throughout. Anima shrugged and pushed her glasses up her snout. Landscape still couldn't get up, wobbling like a turtle knocked on its back.

"Erm...well, forget it. I'm not fighting you," Anima said, tugging at her mantle. Hertz looked back, whimpering. Anima threw her hooves to the sky. This made Landscape shoot up, as though she had been shocked by lightning. She sat back down sheepishly. "What? That's suicide, Hertz! At the very least I managed to give her a guilt trip." Anima noticed that the princess hadn't stopped nodding with the same tempo as before. "...Maybe."

"Whatever! You flake..." Hertz spat. She turned to Majesty. "Mistress! I'll distract her so you can escape to the-"

"No...Hertz, that is impossible," Majesty said. Hertz heaved like a fish out of water. Majesty ignored her display. "I doubt I would make it far. Besides, you haven't a chance against her..."

"You mustn't talk like that, mistress!" Hertz pleaded. "If you stay here, she'll seal you up again! You said so yourself!"

"What's this? Who's sealing who up?" Celestia said. She had stopped her childish mock nodding. "Certainly not me. I shall do no such thing! My dear, I wish you wouldn't try to guess my intentions." Twilight and Applejack gasped in unison as they both shot up from their slump. Twilight flopped over to Celestia, pointing a trembling hoof at Majesty.

"Princess! Do you have any idea what she's planning to do?" Twilight said. Her pupils had shrunken to nearly microscopic dots. Celestia laughed casually. "T-to unicorns...to earth ponies...to...to...to all of Equestria?"

"Probably the same thing as before!" Celestia said, her tone carefree. Twilight choked on her own spit.

"I will not allow her to escape from here," Rarity grumbled, sitting up and heading for her princess. Her eyes bounced around in her head as she walked. "Such a devious mind, and...princess, you simply must reconsider!"

"Yeah, what she said!" Dash said as she too wobbled over to Celestia. The princess was now surrounded by incredulous little ponies gathered at her towering legs. "And besides! What was the point of sending us down here if you're just gonna let her loose? That means we did all that for nothing! _Nothing!_" Dash rubbed her snout as she fell to her back legs, flapping her lips.

"Well, I suppose so..." Celestia said, chuckling mischievously. "But really I was only hoping that you would beat some sense into her, you know? You were the only ones that could." Everypony stammered, backing away from Celestia. Majesty stood firm as the princess looked into her eyes. "Well, lady Majesty? After what you have experienced with these ponies, have your ambitions changed? Have they changed since that fateful day? That day so long ago, when I imprisoned you? At least, oh, twelve hundred years ago, I believe?" Majesty took a deep, shuddering breath.

"...Has it honestly been that long? That explains why you're speaking so informally, Celestia. So traditions do not endure, do they?" Majesty said. Celestia gave a loud, magically amplified cough. Everypony except Majesty jumped, jittered by the massive noise. "And no. My goals have not changed. I will liberate unicorns from you. I will dedicate my life to-"

"Oh, that's too bad. If that's the case, then I suppose I really will have to re-seal you," Celestia said nonchalantly. Majesty choked as she looked at the floor. She shook her head feverishly.

"F-fine...I will wait for as long as I have to..." Majesty said. Her voice was morose and barely audible. Celestia sighed, getting a little closer to the dispirited mare.

"Majesty...you were right about traditions failing to endure. You know that one about unicorns being mistreated? That lifestyle that so many followed? That one I sought to end?" Celestia said. Majesty raised an eyebrow, but refused to look at the princess. "Well, I did. I ended it by making unicorns, earth ponies, and pegasi equal. Unicorns do not need that much power, Majesty. That frightening magic you wielded just recently...what purpose would that serve?" Majesty remained silent, moving her head a shadow of an inch in Celestia's direction. The princess breathed softly. "And look to the ponies at my side. These six here. Did you not witness the power they hold together? The power of their friendship can overcome any magic you wield. It can overcome any magic _anything_ wields. When that kind of benevolent power is available...your Mystery Vein is...it isn't needed. That kind of destructive magic is better off locked away." Majesty shook her head again, her eyes watery. Celestia tilted her head back. "Please, Majesty. Abandon these 'ambitions' of yours, and step out to the light. Or...well, I suppose it is time I ended my attempts at persuading you. It is your choice now, Majesty. Which do you choose? Will you stay here with your plans? Or will you leave them, the Mystery Vein, and this cave behind, forever?" Majesty looked around the empty lake bed. All eyes were on her. She looked to Celestia, and then to Hertz. The yellow unicorn smiled, her wide eyes fixed in adoration upon the brown mare.

"Whatever you want is fine by me, mistress!" Hertz said. She closed her eyes and nodded. "I haven't got a home! I haven't got a family! But...but I've got you, mistress. You let me stay here, and I've always felt at home. That's because...wherever you go is my home, because _you're _my family." Majesty turned to Landscape and Anima, desperation and confusion upon her face.

"I've been keeping track in my room ever since you took me in," Anima said solemnly. "A couple hundred years, I've been here. Most everypony I knew is probably dead. Ehh...scratch that. They're _definitely_ dead. So...what Hertz said, I suppose."

"I go where...master Anima goes," Landscape said. "So...same for me too..." Majesty finally settled her gaze upon the victors. Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight, standing beside to their princess. They offered no words for her. More than anything, they looked as though they wanted to leave.

"I...I wish for unicorns to be free...to be great," Majesty said. Celestia wavered upon anxious hooves. "But...but more than that...so much more than that I..." Majesty choked on her tears. "_I_ want to be free! I don't want to be kept here!" Celestia nodded pleasantly.

"And free you shall be," said Celestia. Her smile did not fade, and it looked as though nothing could wipe it off her face. She turned away from the shivering wreck that was Majesty. Tossing her mane, she began to walk. "Come, everypony. Let us gather up the others." Everypony nodded resolutely before following the princess. Celestia turned to see that Majesty and her followers were not proceeding. "Majesty..." Celestia said over her shoulder. The mare looked up to the great white alicorn. Hope blossomed in Majesty's dark brown eyes. "That means you too. As well as you three. I assume you meant what you said. ...Let us go."

In spite of their crippling fatigue, it didn't take the group of ponies long to reach the stone platform where Hertz had been fought. The blue mass of magic seemed to quake before Celestia, as if it feared her very presence. Upon reaching the confused, wailing, sobbing mass of captive unicorns, Celestia instilled order. Everypony bowed and waited for her words. She explained to them that a powerful, ancient evil had polluted their minds, dragging them to the cave against their will. However, she was quick to note that the evil was dead, and would never return. Nopony offered any kind of remark or question, instead nodding and accepting Celestia's words. The unicorns unsteadily lumbered after the princess and her entourage. They trudged up and out of the cave, all the way to the surface where the Everfree Forest awaited.

The forest at dawn was still shrouded in darkness, with shadows creeping out from behind the trees and grasses. However, the sheer size of the group of ponies kept any creatures at bay. The fact that the princess of Equestria was leading the pack did a great deal more to ensure that any threats would keep their distance. Seldom did the Everfree Forest have so many visitors.

As the drowsy, silent ponies moved to the outskirts of the Everfree, Majesty made her way out to the front. She breathed shakily as she looked to the dazzling golden orange mixture pulled across the horizon. She stepped away from the trees and her followers to gaze at the fast approaching morning sun. Celestia chuckled merrily.

"Well, you wanted to see a sunrise, yes?" Celestia said to Majesty. The mare did not turn around. She was far too captivated with the long forgotten wonders of the outside world. "Was it soon enough?" Majesty's voice trembled as she heard her followers approach from behind. They too smiled at the warm horizon as they sat down in the grass.

"It's...it's beautiful..."


	10. Chapter 9

The journey back to library was surprisingly short and pleasant. Twilight was astonished that she had made it to the tree without tripping over her hooves or going to sleep in the frigid street. She and her friends had separated with a couple of exhausted nods and sighs. Everypony had been too wrung out to cheer or even discuss the events, although the feeling of victory surged within Twilight's blood. The fresh, crisp morning air had a delicious scent and feel as it blew into the unicorn's eyes. Perhaps that refreshing feeling was what drove her hooves, which were moving with the dexterity of a pile of bricks.

She was too drained to pay attention to the earth ponies fearfully emerging from their homes. They looked both eager and terrified to investigate the mob of returned ponies shuffling around. The unicorns had begun to chatter, but they found their jaws dropping to the ground upon spying several of their copies. The golem imitations still roamed the streets with cracked, giddy smiles. Twilight couldn't care less as to how the situation would be handled. She just assumed the princess would take care of it as she threw the door to the library open.

A pungent scent of burnt sugar, honey, and something rotten rushed into her nostrils as she opened the door. She choked, her dry throat and nose unable to deal with the sudden vile aroma. She reeled as her eyes rolled and watered uncontrollably. A strange humidity hung in the library as Spike stumbled into view. His movements were drunken, and his eyes were swollen and bright pink. He sniffed at the air before waving lazily at Twilight and collapsing.

"Ohhhhh...heh, heh. Hey, Twiiiiliiiight..." Spike chuckled. He hiccuped as he grabbed at his belly, scratching it. He slurped at his lips as Twilight fell inside, almost forgetting to shut the door behind her. "Whassup...? Oh man, heeey...Dash was riiiight. That tree's preeeetty coooool..." Spike's words were drawn out and slurred past comprehension. Twilight pricked up her ears as she hastily covered her snout.

"Spike! What happened here?" Twilight said nasally. "What's that smell?" Spike blinked twice before slapping his knee and laughing uproariously.

"Ohhh-ho-ho! Thaaat...um, well, the tree started smellin' and stuff," Spike began before hiccuping and laughing feebly. "Heh...that's funny. Trees can't smell. They don't got noses...heh, heh..."

"It's the tree? Makes as much sense as anything, I guess?" Twilight questioned absently as she looked everywhere she could think. She searched atop tables, under books and all around the ground floor. She panicked as Celestia's tree failed to show up. "Spike, where is it again?" Spike erupted into obnoxious laughter again.

"Hah! Ya know? Ya put it up by your bed and stuff! ...Ohh...no wait...I did that, huh...? Or didn't I...? Umm...ha ha!" Spike said, trying to stand up. He teetered upon his feet and spun. He landed on his tail, crushing it beneath his squirming body. He made no attempt to follow Twilight, who moved for the stairs. "Heh, heh...oww. Think I broke something...ahhh, who cares, really...?"

When Twilight reached her room, she saw the weird, wavy tree placed near her bed. It was placed near the tightly shut window, a strange pink mist wafting off its slightly wilting leaves. Twilight nodded weakly and reached for some magic. Her horn sputtered like a failing lawnmower. She huffed and tried again, aiming a spell at the window. It creaked open, prompting Twilight to send another spell at the tree, lifting it close to the open frame. It kept chugging out tiny pink cloud puffs, which were blown away by the morning breeze. Twilight spread herself out on bed, which felt far softer than it ever had. She looked to the tree.

"Ugh...what's wrong now?" She said hopeless as she massaged her sleepy eyes. She gave a deep breath, inhaling soggy, putridly sweet air. "Well...I'll figure it out later...I'm too beat..." She barely managed to slip out those words as she rolled onto her side and straight into much desired rest.

Twilight awoke to find the sun halfway across the brilliant blue sky. The nasty scent had ebbed slightly, although traces remained in the air. Twilight shook her head and rubbed against her blankets. She winced as she felt a greasy film covering them.

"Ew, e-ew! I knew I should've taken a bath before lying down," Twilight said, inwardly fuming. Getting up off the sweat-sopped bed, she made a bee-line for her bathroom, taking the tree with her. She was careful not to get it too close to her face, as it kept periodically expelling stinky sweet clouds. She set the tree down on a table downstairs before creeping quietly to the bathroom. She didn't want to awaken Spike, who had drifted off into slumber.

After an hour long bath, Twilight managed to scrub every last bit of grime and filth out of her fur. She smiled in front of the mirror, analyzing her now glossy, clean and smooth coat and mane. They were a dazzling far cry from the battle worn pelts they had been, and Twilight nodded in approval as she swished her tail, leaving the bathroom.

The bath and the long nap had left her fit and ready to go out into the streets. However, she surveyed the still very messy and paper-strewn library, and gave an appropriately morose sigh. Spike had woken up, and was rubbing his tail. It was pulsing and red in places. He seemed to have returned to his normal self, as his walking now had some semblance of control.

"Twilight...what the heck did I do to myself?" Spike cried as he noticed his friend. He ran over to her, keeping his sore tail from dragging along the wood floor. "I don't remember anything!"

"It was that tree, or something," Twilight explained. She savored her returned energy with a big grin. Spike looked puzzled at her enthusiasm. "It was making some kinda smell. It was terrible! And on top of that I guess it made you tipsy."

"Definitely feels like I tipped _something,_" Spike groaned. He rubbed his tail, but that only seemed to make the pain worse. "I dunno. Did I do something wrong? I watered it and got it sunlight and stuff! So, why's it look half-dead?" Twilight bit her lip as she got a good look at the tree. The shaggy leaves were browning, and they gave a decrepit wheeze with each expulsion of fumes.

"Fragile thing, huh?" Twilight said to herself. She shrugged as she eyed the little puffs and gathered some magic. "Well anyways, I'd better open this place up so we don't suffocate." Twilight laughed to herself as she opened up the door with magic. Majesty was standing there, an innocent look about her. Twilight jumped so high that she almost touched the ceiling, and the scream she made caused Spike to look around in concern. "Y-y-you...! What're you doing here?" Majesty waved placidly.

"Ah...hello," she said softly. Although her dark eyes showed no malice, they remained as half-lidded as ever, portraying a bored expression. "I just-"

"You just what? I don't know what you're planning, but-"

"Whoa, easy there Twilight. You know her?" Spike said, letting his tail flop onto the ground. He bit down hard, cringing before he tried to take hold of Twilight's madly flailing legs. "N-not well? Is she scary or something?"

"Ha, ha! Scary? No, of course not!" Twilight shouted, fumbling over her hooves, which tangled and twisted in panic. "I mean, it's not like she tried to _kill_ me and everypony else or anything, if that's what you're thinking!" Spike heaved and looked to Majesty standing idly in the door frame. The motion of her lazy waving hooves changed to embarrassed, awkward movements.

"About that. I was hoping to-"

"What? When? Huh? _Kill?_" Spike blared, overriding Majesty. He was flailing around with Twilight now. The two friends collided, crumbling into a big purple heap. "...Twilight, did you get too much of that pink stuff too?"

"No! I'm serious!" Twilight said, throwing Spike off her and glaring at Majesty. Instinctively, she readied some magic. "She's the one Celestia sent us to stop! She's the one behind-"

"Listen to me, Twilight Sparkle," Majesty said calmly. Twilight raised her horn high, ready to slam the door in Majesty's face. "I know this is bizarre, but I...I want to talk with you. I have no intention of fighting. That is not what civilized ponies do." Twilight shifted her rapidly twitching eyes and lowered her horn slightly. She gulped.

"...What about?"

"There are some things I would like to discuss-" Majesty began before several screams came from outside. Both the brown mare and Twilight looked in their direction. Lyra's golem copy streaked through the streets of Ponyville, giggling profusely.

"Imma unicorn! Imma Lyra!" she called up to the bright sky, trotting happily and stupidly in a zig-zag pattern. Landscape, Anima and Hertz were in hot pursuit.

"No! Come back you little reject!" Anima roared. "Come back so that I may melt yooooou! Back to the kiln with you..! Oof!" She tripped and fell flat on her face, ripping up her lacy green mantle. Landscape screeched to a halt, going to her master.

"Master Anima...?" Landscape said distantly. She nudged at the green unicorn's side after retrieving her glasses. "Injured...?"

"Uggh...when was the last time I ever ran _anywhere_?" Anima lamented. "What a chore, not being able to fly..." Hertz snickered from up ahead.

"Hah! You're gonna have a hard time up here, you old crone!" Hertz sneered. "And today's gonna be long too! We haven't even caught a single one of these weirdos yet!"

"It would be easy if they would _listen to me_!" Anima screamed, getting back up and galloping after Hertz. "Why won't they? It is incomprehensible, I say! Landscape! To me! We've some golems to melt!" The ponies vanished from sight, Anima laughing and gasping maniacally as Twilight gazed outside, slack-jawed. She wasn't the only pony looking to the street with a completely floored look. Majesty smiled weirdly.

"Umm...leave the cleanup to them. They will handle it, more or less," Majesty said in a less than assuring tone. She paused, looking at the skeptical Twilight. "...May I come in?" Twilight remained silent for a few very long seconds before wilting. She rolled her eyes, exhaling roughly.

"Fine."

Twilight had been planning to put some tea on in preparation for her tidying of the library anyway. The boiling kettle seemed to steam all the more cheerily in the presence of a house guest. Majesty's appearance had changed dramatically, Twilight noticed as she brought the mare a cup. Her hair had been trimmed to a fraction of its original length. Now it dropped just barely past her neck, the brown fur light and puffy as opposed to the ragged mat it had been upon her unsealing. Majesty's body had looked petite when shrouded in her cape of a mane, but without it she looked even smaller. Her limbs and body were strangely thin and weak looking. Twilight chalked it up to the length of time she had been locked up.

"So uhh...what'd you wanna talk about anyway?" Twilight said, fiddling with the tree upon the table as her own teacup floated next to her head. The collection of leaves provided a good barrier between her and Majesty. The wisps of smelly pink billowed out less frequently. "This is uhh...kinda awkward." Majesty coughed after taking a sip from her own levitated cup.

"W-well...I suppose it is," Majesty said dimly. "You have a lovely...plant here." Twilight huffed.

"It's a tre...erm, I mean yeah. It is, huh?" Twilight said impatiently. She slurped her tea loudly. Majesty sighed.

"It is also...uh, in the way, don't you think?" Majesty said, batting the branches and coaxing out a big cloud of pink. Both unicorns choked on the fumes as Spike groaned from beneath the table. He was curled up and stroking his pained tail.

"Well, pardon me for not wanting to get a good look at you!" Twilight murmured. "Last time I saw you, you were crazy and oh, you know, ready to _kill me_." Majesty nodded.

"Yes...oh yes, that is what I wanted to talk about," she said quietly. She tried to angle her head around the wilting tree to look at Twilight's face, but Twilight would twist her own head in the opposite direction. Majesty sighed sadly. "About that...how I acted back in the cavern was inexcusable. I am ashamed that you had to see me that way."

"Can't say you made a good first impression," Twilight said, chuckling bitterly.

"Indeed so," Majesty said. "I apologize, Twilight Sparkle. I apologize for my misdeeds and for my acts of brutality against you and your friends. I am so sorry..." Twilight was silent as she craned her head over the tree to see Majesty. Her head was hung and motionless, as though it had been carved from stone. Upon hearing no answer, Majesty looked up. At this, Twilight recoiled, returning behind the tree. "I can only hope your friends have different reactions..."

"What? What're you talking about?" Twilight said, almost choking on the hot liquid going down her throat. Majesty blinked, but Twilight didn't see this. "What're you gonna do to my friends?"

"Apologize to them, as I have to you," Majesty said. "You are the first I have visited-"

"Ya know, I wouldn't do that if I were you!" Twilight said quickly and sternly, already shuddering at a plethora of mental pictures. The images of Majesty showing up to see Applejack or Rainbow Dash were both horrifying and violent. "I'd keep your distance and try to avoid contact with us, as much as you possibly can!" Majesty clicked her tongue.

"...I don't think that will be an option, Twilight Sparkle."

"Oh? And why's that, may I ask?" Twilight interrogated. Majesty set her cup down and clasped her hooves.

"Because...I'll be settling down here in Ponyville...?" Majesty had to pry at the words to get them out. They were broken and scrambled with nervousness. Twilight magically lifted the plant off the table and set it down on the floor. The pot made a reverberating crash upon the floor, making Spike jump at the shock. Twilight stared angrily at Majesty, who giggled a little. "...For the time being, of course. Possibly."

"Whaddya mean, 'settling down here in Ponyville?' Why here?" Twilight said, blasting spit across the table. Majesty saved her cup from being drenched. "I-isn't there somewhere else you can go? Anywhere else? I-I mean, you said you were Celestia's court magician once, right? So you've got a home in Canterlot, right?" Majesty shook her head slowly.

"That's what I thought at first too. However, the princess has forbidden it," Majesty said. Twilight moaned as Majesty tapped the tabletop. "She wishes for you all to keep a close watch on me, should I...what were her words? 'Attempt suspicious behavior?'" Twilight looked blankly at Majesty, her now dull purple eyes half-lidded. Majesty chuckled lightly. "But you needn't worry about such a thing. I promised her that I would not attempt to revive the Mystery Vein, and that I would leave my ambitions behind. I will not break that promise." Twilight slunk back onto her haunches, rubbing her eyes.

"Oh...how did this happen?" Twilight said sorely. She waved a dismissive hoof at Majesty, who got the message and arose, leaving her teacup behind. "On second thought, why not go apologize to the others? I'd rather not have to repeat this news five times..."

"Understood," Majesty said as she turned to leave. Twilight looked up and eyed her flank in confusion. Majesty looked back, talking over her shoulder as she walked. "Thank you for allowing me a chance to apologize, Twilight Sparkle."

"W-wait!" Twilight called. Majesty did so, but didn't turn around. Twilight's hooves were spread across the table as she gestured to Majesty's flank. Specifically, her eyes and hooves were directed at the mare's cutie mark, which was now visible due to her shortened mane. It was a trio of thick swirls, each colored red, blue, green, and gold. They spiraled around a milky white sphere in the center. "...The heck kind of cutie mark's that? Just what's your talent anyway?"

"Magic," Majesty said dryly. Majesty turned to her side, offering Twilight a better view of her flank. Twilight was making eye contact with her now, though. "But I should be more specific. This did not appear until I saw...it."

"What?" Twilight said, genuinely curious.

"The Mystery Vein," Majesty said. She returned to the table. Twilight's skeptical and ruffled attitude had given way to a strange kind of fascination. "Celestia once told me I was the only unicorn that could see it, apart from herself and princess Luna. Thus, it is a talent unique to me. The ability to see Equestria's magic flow." Twilight exhaled cautiously.

"Can you...can you see it now?" she asked. Majesty wavered before shaking her head.

"No. I cannot. Ever since Celestia locked the Vein away, I have been unable to view it," Majesty said. Twilight chipped at the wooden tabletop, staring at it. A depressing air seemed to emanate from Majesty as Twilight cradled her cheek with a free hoof. "I ended up sealed away alongside it, though. I got to know it better than I ever could have hoped. I suppose one could say I became a part of it. An extension of it. In a way, Celestia helped me to get closer to my talent than ever before." Twilight nodded intently as Majesty continued. "When you and your friends fought against me in the cave, you essentially did battle against all of Equestria's magic. You normal ponies somehow managed to draw upon something special. A kind of magic that exists beyond the Mystery Vein. I had twelve hundred years to comprehend the Mystery Vein and learn its secrets, and yet I cannot understand how you defeated me. It is...unsettling." Twilight tried to absorb Majesty's words. However, she ended up laughing at her seriousness.

"Really? You think that's unsettling?" Twilight said through her laugh. Majesty took another sip of tea, bewildered but pleased by the recovering conversation. "You wanna know how we did it? It was just our friendship. Nothing more, nothing less. Didn't Celestia tell you that?"

"I suppose she did," Majesty said in vague recollection. "But that's ridiculous. Friendship cannot just generate magic out of thin air." Twilight nearly choked on her tea, pounding the table as she laughed louder. Her tone was now a bit mocking.

"Ha! You stiff! Guess you never had too many friends, huh?" Twilight said. Majesty raised an eyebrow at this before shrugging lazily. Twilight paused, her laugh giving way to a sheepish giggle. "U-uhh...I know the feeling. I don't really get it myself, but that Mystery Vein of yours makes magic stronger, right? Any magic? Even the 'special' magic generated by me and my friends? If that's the case, you lost the second you went all out."

"...You may be correct, Twilight Sparkle," Majesty said, nodding her head in reluctant agreement. Twilight shook hers, blinking erratically.

"Wha...? You're serious?"

"So...that explains it," Majesty said, her voice rattling. Her eyes opened up as her teacup fell from a short height. It clattered on the table, nearly spilling. The mare's mouth trembled open in realization. "That must've been it. That's why she urged me to seek friendship..." Twilight waved her hoof, wordless prompting Majesty to elaborate. "Err...it is a distant memory, but...you don't want to hear it, I'm certain."

"Hey, you're the one who showed up on my doorstep looking for a conversation," Twilight reminded, her teeth knocking together loudly. She waved her hoof again, directing Majesty's actions. "So go. This had better be interesting, though." Majesty nodded in gentle agreement.

"Very well. I discovered my ability to see the Mystery Vein when the princess took me down to the cave of forbidden magic some twelve hundred years ago," Majesty said. Twilight yawned artificially.

"Uh-huh. Old news," she said, thoroughly unimpressed.

"After that, I became interested in learning as much magic as I possibly could," Majesty said, determined to win Twilight's interest. Her usual monotone sounded very silly as she attempted to add bombastic emphasis in places. "So much so that I would not leave the royal library for days at a time."

"Hmm. Sounds like somepony I know," Twilight said mysteriously. Majesty raised an eyebrow, but Twilight merely laughed and gestured at the mare again.

"...E-eh...I became so absorbed in my research that the princess began to worry," Majesty said. She shook her head sadly as she stared at a pile of disheveled books. She sounded lost in deep remembrance. "But...I did not listen. I paid her no heed as she ordered me to the world outside of Canterlot. But I knew what she was planning. Or...or so I thought." Twilight's eyes widened a little.

"...What?"

"You see, unicorns had a great deal of magical power when the Mystery Vein was active, as you know," Majesty said. "So much so that pegasi and earth ponies feared them. They grew to hate what they feared, and started committing acts of violence against unicorns. The unicorns responded in kind. Soon enough, the peasantry and nobility alike were cast to turmoil. This was all too evident, even from behind the castle walls." Twilight was awed, her jaw hanging ajar.

"That's horrible! I-I've never read anything about that! Even in my highest level history books!" she said. Her mind was racing, wondering whether or not she should accept what she just heard as the truth. Then her chest expanded as she blew a big, relieved breath. "Whoo...! Glad I didn't live back then. Really, _really_ glad!"

"Things do seem more peaceful now," Majesty said. "But that's beside the point. I had no desire to make any friends. Rather, I was more focused on the Mystery Vein. I sought to draw more power from it. I sought to give unicorns more power, in order to fight their oppressors."

"Well, I think we both know that was a terrible idea," Twilight said. Majesty grumbled in shameful agreement. Her eyes were shut tight. "Hey, we all make mistakes. Yours just happened to be a big honking one!"

"Yes...the Mystery Vein was the source of the chaos. It needed to be sealed," Majesty admitted begrudgingly. "When Celestia told me this, I scoffed at her. I was arrogant. I raved, saying that the unicorns needed to tap into their full potential to make the other ponies learn their place. The princess...she looked at me as though I had lost my mind. Now that I think about it, I very well might have."

"And that's when she sealed you away," Twilight finished. Majesty nodded with grim clarity. "Yeah, well if you were acting like you did back at the cave, I can't blame her. You brought it on yourself, you know."

"It was necessary," Majesty agreed with great difficulty. She scowled, swirling the leftover tea in her cup. It splashed out, steaming in the cold winter air. "I was such a fool. She was trying to show me that a more powerful magic existed, beyond the Mystery Vein. She was trying to show me that it could be acquired through something positive, as opposed to hatred and vanity." Majesty said. "Yes...the princess may seem like a silly prankster at times, but she always knows best. Such a wise pony...she trusted me and I tossed her concern aside." Majesty got up, a crooked smile upon her face. Twilight got up along with her, shaking her head.

"Majesty...what're you going to do now?" Twilight said. Majesty did not turn to face Twilight this time. Instead she headed for the open door frame. Twilight pouted and stamped the floor, disturbing a jagged paper pile nearby. "Hey! You'd better answer me! I'm not through with you."

"There is still much to learn about magic, even for one such as me," Majesty said. Her voice was stained with optimism as she neared the door frame. She finally turned, standing against the cool air and looking straight at Twilight. Her eyes burned with passion and hope. "And for you as well, Twilight Sparkle! Perhaps one day, when we both understand magic a little better, might we have a contest of prowess? As...friends?" Majesty was shivering. Twilight smirked, getting back onto her haunches and sipping the last of her tea.

"No tricks. No rage. No hard feelings," Twilight said flatly. "Maybe. Just maybe. I'll need to think about it." Majesty swallowed before quickly nodding and departing.

"Thank you, Twilight Sparkle," she said as she left. "For that lovely chat." As Majesty left, Twilight gathered up the teacups and made for her sink. Spike slithered out from beneath the table. His tail looked a bit less swollen as he followed Twilight.

"Jeez, she's gloomy," he said, holding his arms out. "Was she really gonna kill you? Are you sure she wasn't just trying to write sappy poetry at you?"

"Um, yeah! I was there!" Twilight said as she deposited the dishes. Spike went to wash them without so much as an order. "But...somehow I don't think she's gonna try anything. I mean, she's a complete freak but I don't think she's dangerous. Not anymore, anyway."

"Twilight, who're you trying to convince?" Spike said sarcastically. "Certainly not the princess? I mean, if you can show her that mare's not a threat, she won't have to stay here, huh?"

"That's a good point," Twilight said. She tapped at her chin. "Yeah...real good point. Y'know, I'd really rather not have to deal with her. Maybe I should write to the princess..."

"Huh. Well if you want," Spike said as he scrubbed at the cups. He called over his shoulder. "Still, it'd make things interesting if somepony was here to cause a ruckus every now and then, huh?" Twilight turned away from a now floating book and paper stack to look incredulously at Spike. He snickered, putting his hands behind his head. "Y'know, just for play? I mean, not to be all evil and stuff. Just to be entertaining?"

"There's nothing entertaining about ruckus, Spike!" Twilight said firmly as she straightened out the books and papers. She levitated the books onto their proper shelves as she gestured to the dragon. "Now when things are nice and neat and orderly? _That's_ entertaining!"

"Ain't nothing fun about cleaning," Spike said, dropping a wet rag he had been using to dry the dishes. He crossed his arms as Twilight tossed him a book.

"Oh, silly Spike. That's...those are the words of a lazy-bones!" Twilight spoke as though she were already covered with dust and loose pages. She looked to the mountains upon mountains of discarded tomes. "Eh...why don't you start sorting? We've got a lotta work ahead."

As the sun continued to hang happily over the restored populace of Ponyville, groups of pegasus ponies began to usher in large groups of fluffy white clouds. As Twilight and Spike paid the outside no heed, instead devoting their efforts to getting the library ship-shape, a cheerful feeling remained strong. Although Twilight shifted book after messy book in a futile effort to get things perfect, she couldn't help but be filled with a sense of accomplishment. With the unicorns returned safely and a great threat extinguished, Twilight was confident that the only hassle in the foreseeable future would be an unkempt library, mitigated by the approaching, wondrous glow of countless winter stars.


	11. Extra Chapter 1: Scoundrel and a Thief

Princess Luna traipsed out to her balcony. Though the daytime had fallen to a late afternoon rainstorm, the clouds had dispersed to reveal a dazzling sky. The stars shone like wondrous polished gems. Despite their beauty, Luna still found herself sighing.

"Well, that's as good as it will ever get," she said. Her calculating eyes moved nervously, spying every part of her creation. They pried at the spots she thought needed improvement, but as she raised her hoof to make edits, she heard Celestia trotting behind her. She blew a big hot breath, feeling Celestia's narrow eyes upon her sunken shoulders. "Sister...what is it now?"

"Oh, just checking up on my dear, littlest sibling!" Celestia chimed, tilting her head scarily. Her eyes were slits as Luna coughed nervously.

"Erm...I'm your only sibling," Luna reminded. Celestia stuck out her lower lip.

"This is true, but even still. You just have that tiny, plucky sibling feel about you!" Celestia said, stroking the top of Luna's glistening mane and chuckling fondly at her. She looked up to the radiant sky. "What a beautiful night you have made. Everypony will be at a loss for words tomorrow, sister."

"I certainly hope so. ...F-for good reasons, of course!" Luna said hesitantly. "It's not so much the starlight I'm worried about. It's the surprises I have in store. I've scheduled very precise meteor showers as well as an eclipse, but...I mean, I can't rehearse them or anything. Can't risk anypony looking out tonight and seeing them, yes? Oh, I do hope everything goes off without a hitch..." Luna took her eyes away from the sky to survey Equestria. Ponyville was visible even from the highest spire in Canterlot, glittering magnificently. Luna smiled warmly at the little town. Truly the ponies there were looking forward to a splendorous show.

Luna caught a glimpse of the Everfree Forest near the town. The greenery, which should've been obscured by shadow, seemed to shine with multicolored, soft lights. Luna thought to herself how strange this was, but reasoned that it must've been the result of the decorated Ponyville. When her gaze returned to her prized night sky, though, that thought was snuffed out. Her heart burned white hot while her body went cold as ice.

"Sister? Is there something troubling you?" Celestia said, keeping a hoof on the top of Luna's mane, but craning her neck to see her face. It was stunned, frozen in terror. "What is it? What's wrong sister?" Luna stammered, her seemingly shrinking outline wracked with violent tremors.

"Where did...how did...when? I...what...?" she said, utterly confounded. With every blubbered word, her volume increased exponentially, culminating in a voice quaking with fury."It's...no! No...no! No, no, no no NO!"

Twilight Sparkle sat in her dark house, staring intently at the shoddy tree. Her eyes squinted worriedly at the state of it. Over the course of the day, the leaves had wilted even further. She had basically drowned it multiple times with special water she bought from Applejack. She assured Twilight that it was packed with vitamins and minerals, and would guarantee excellent health within hours. It had done nothing. She had kept the tree by her open window for the brief time the sun was out. Still, the tree's condition declined.

Twilight huffed, unsure of what to do next. She had sent Spike to investigate several books on plants, but to no avail. The tree didn't appear in any book Spike retrieved. It looked hopeless. Twilight was too worried to even look out the window and get an eyeful of what must've been a beautiful night sky.

"I just don't understand what I'm doing wrong!" Twilight said, her eye twitching. She ran a hoof through the tree's cracked, brown leaves, which seemed to sulk. "I've tried everything! Everything! ...I guess I'll just have to tell Celestia that I'm no good with plants."

"When you think about it, you haven't tried _everything,_" Spike said, leaning against a ladder to put away the last botany book. It was much easier to find its home, now that the library was clean as a whistle. Twilight looked across the room for an explanation. "Remember Celestia's letter?" Twilight thought back.

"Um, y-yeah sure I do!" Twilight said, biting her lip and trying hard to remember the instructions. "Um, water it three times a day, yeah? Also, make sure it gets plenty of sunlight, right? That was it, and I did those! I don't see what the problem is."

"You're forgetting something," Spike said, waggling a claw. He jumped from the ladder and walked towards Twilight, presenting a thick, ragged book. "I don't think there's ever been a better time for story time. She said to read it a bedtime story, rememb-"

"For goodness sake, Spike! You really think _that's_ gonna help this thing?" Twilight scoffed as Spike forced the book against the pony's chest. She doubled back as he gave her a dead serious look.

"Yep. I mean, yeah, it doesn't make any sense, but really, does this tree make any sense to begin with either?" Spike said. Twilight sighed, picking up both the book and the tree with magic. Spike smiled, following his friend. "And Celestia _did _include it in her letter. I mean, I think she of all ponies would know what to do with it."

"Yes, but she's also the type to make little jabs like that. Y'know? Being cryptic just for the sake of it?" Twilight said bluntly. She grimaced at the heavy book floating next to her head as she climbed the staircase. "I suppose we can try it, though. Might as well, considering..." Twilight's sentence fell into mangled gibberish as she poked her head up into the loft. Her throat went dry, and her heart practically leapt into her mouth. Both book and tree dropped like lead weights. Spike managed to catch the plant, saving it as he scrambled after Twilight. "Wh-where's...where's the moon? The stars...the sky? Everything?" Staring out the big glass window revealed an empty red and black void where the night sky used to be. Night clouds, starlight, and even the waxing moon had been wiped away. Spike reached the loft and gaped at the same sight.

"What's goin' on?" Spike said, his green eyes going wide as he rocketed over to the window. He pressed his nose against the glass, peering out into the streets. Twilight was right over his shoulder, observing Ponyville in havoc. Already the townsponies were dreamily emerging from their homes and chattering in low voices. Spike looked up, his eyes opening even wider as he bolted away from the window. A tiny glint had appeared in the black mass up above. It whistled as it drew nearer to the library. "Twilight! Look out!"

Twilight jumped over to the side to narrowly avoid a great blue fireball crashing through her window. She landed on her bed with a soft thud, shielding her head. She looked up to see Princess Luna standing in the center of the loft. Her hooves were aflame, and her mane was billowing about in the still present night wind. She looked over to Twilight as she magically repaired the window, reassembling the fragmented glass with a flash of indigo magic.

"Twilight Sparkle!" she said through a magically amplified voice. It hammered Twilight's ears, making her eyes spin. She grabbed a pillow and crammed it over her head in reaction. "I have a mission for you...what are you doing?" Luna did not stifle her magically enhanced voice, but was looking quizzically at the trembling Twilight with the pillow over her head. Twilight threw it away, jumped off her bed and bowed out of both fear and cordiality.

"Princess Luna...I don't mean to criticize, but do you think you could tone it down, just a bit?" Twilight suggested sheepishly. Luna raised an eyebrow before getting Twilight's meaning. She put a hoof to her mouth, the light blue flames receding along with her excessive volume. Miraculously, the wood floor had not ignited, although four smoking skid marks had appeared. "Just what are you doing here?"

"I've a favor to ask of you, Twilight Sparkle," Luna said. Twilight arose from her bow and backed away hesitantly. She looked around for support from Spike, but he was cowering beneath the bed. She groaned. Luna continued as though Twilight were listening with the utmost attentiveness. "It is a daunting task indeed, but I have seen the feats performed by you and your allies. I am certain you will be able to help me."

"Does it have something to do with the sky?" Twilight asked. Luna nodded.

"Most definitely. A-are you aware of what has happened, exactly?" Twilight looked to the empty void where the sky had been and shook her head. Luna nodded again, looking very solemn. "I see. Of course, I did not expect you to deduce how this event came to be."

"So you know then?" Twilight said, getting closer to Luna. "Tell me!"

"But of course! You see, this was the work of a pony," Luna explained as she looked out the window. "A monstrously powerful and destructive pony. Only she could be capable of doing such a thing. I'm certain of it." One name immediately sprung up in Twilight's head as she narrowed her eyes. She stared, fixated upon Luna's concerned face.

"Majesty. She's at it again!" Twilight said. "To think she's already trying to-" Luna shook her head firmly, causing Twilight to falter.

"No. No, Majesty does not possess the power to commit this crime," Twilight blinked, baffled. Luna continued. "You see, this was not an act of magic. It was an act of theft. The sky...it was stolen." Twilight blinked again, rooted to the spot as she attempted to absorb the message.

"S-stolen?"

"Unfortunately," Luna's voice was wracked with sorrow. "You see, the pony that committed this crime was-"

"Sealed away by princess Celestia, a really long time ago?" Twilight guessed. Luna tore her eyes away from the blank sky and gasped.

"How did you know that?" she said. "Nopony should even know this pony exists. My sister wiped all records of her from history!"

"Yes, it's just that, well," Twilight said carefully. "Princess Celestia is kinda...predictable, when it comes to how she deals with dangerous things."

"That is true. But though that observation is hilarious, this is no laughing matter at all. There is a reason why my sister sealed her away for what was supposed to be forever," Luna said sternly. "This criminal wields overwhelming power, beyond what a normal pony can face! You and your friends are not shy to heroics, yes, but you cannot stop her by yourselves. Naturally, that is why I will be accompanying you into the Everfree Forest to-"

"Everfree Forest? That's where she is? I might've guessed," Twilight said, turning away from the princess and talking over her shoulder. She was making for the edge of the loft, looking resolute. "Spike, I'm going out. But I'll be back by dawn, okay? Maybe even earlier."

"Gotcha," Spike said from beneath the bed. For some reason, he wasn't crawling out, but he extended an arm to give a thumbs up. Luna looked at Twilight, who was now practically at the staircase.

"What? What? Twilight Sparkle, do not talk about this expedition as though it were an evening stroll," Luna said. Twilight looked to the princess to see her body quivering with worry. "I do not jest about this pony. She is far beyond your ability to handle alone. If you hope to be victorious, you must allow me to aid you!"

"No, no! That really isn't necessary, princess. And I won't be alone. I have my friends. Also...I talked with Majesty earlier today. I kinda found out what she is, exactly," Twilight said, smiling cheerfully. "Look, if we can beat down an embodiment of Equestria's magic together, I think we can bring this pony to justice. Don't worry! We'll be okay." Luna stammered at Twilight's carefree attitude and tone.

"B-but I-"

"You've got a kingdom to calm down, don't you?" Twilight said. Luna looked back to the window. Already the panicked sounds from outside were beginning to crescendo. "The entire sky's gone, right? That means everypony all over Equestria must be scared witless! As the princess of the night, they're gonna be looking to you for an explanation. You should see to them, rather then worry about helping us out."

"Yes, I suppose. But-"

"And besides, if you were to get hurt fighting this pony, who's gonna conduct the Winter Starlight Festival tomorrow night?" Twilight said. Luna grumbled, gazing down into the streets of Ponyville.

"But if this pony is not dealt with, there will be no-"

"We'll get her. Trust me. You can trust all of us, princess Luna," Twilight said firmly. Her hooves clacked against the wooden steps. Luna turned around to see her faithful subject low to the ground in reverence. "We will not fail you, and we will not fail Equestria. You have my word." Luna beamed at the unicorn, her eyes sparkling.

"...Very well," Luna finally said, spreading her wings. She held her head high as Twilight started down the stairs again. "But at the very least, allow me to alert your friends to the situation. Time is of the essence here."

"That would be great! Thank you princess," Twilight shouted from the lower floor. She cringed as she heard a deafening crash from up above. The telltale sounds of Luna rocketing up and out of the recently repaired window filled Twilight with dread. She could only hope that the princess had the decency to fix the window once more.

When Twilight stepped out into the streets, she was greeted by a cacophony of voices. She heard ponies shrieking as they got a look at the black, swirling void where the beautiful sky used to be. She heard fillies crying to their mothers. Twilight winced as she saw the children decked out in big star hats and astronomy based attire, clearly prepared for the festivities.

The way to the Everfree Forest saw her bombarded with question after scared question. Random ponies that she had never met asked Twilight's opinion of the situation. Of course she had to answer as though she knew nothing. In all honesty that wasn't too far from the truth. All she knew was that somepony had literally stolen the sky, and that said pony was hiding out in the Everfree Forest. Offering that as an answer was bound to perplex, so Twilight gladly adopted a clueless facade as she briskly trotted on.

It was refreshing, being the first one to the edge of the Everfree. Arriving late never sat well with Twilight, who waited patiently in silence. It was unnaturally bright around the perimeter of the forest. The dark green trees glittered in strange whites and blues, colors that could be found radiating from strong starlight. Twilight also noticed the treetops were not green. Instead, they had adopted a navy blue color. Even as the wind blew across the leaves, the night sky painted over them remained undisturbed.

The unicorn didn't have to wait long before her friends arrived. Everypony had similar stories to tell. Twilight's smile grew bigger, while her tone became more exasperated, with each one.

"And here ah' was, lookin' forward to a good night's sleep. Then the princess busts my barn door. And roof."

"What a mess I've got to deal with when I get back! Opal nearly got singed and Sweetie Belle was scared out of her skin! Oh, the princess truly could stand a bit more refinement, don't you think?"

"So I was minding my own beeswax, tucking into a nice peppermint burrito, when whoosh! Fireball! Comet! Whatever! Long story short...I hate the five second rule...ahhh-ha-ha...!"

"Wha...? A peppermint _what?_" Dash said to Pinkie, who shrugged casually.

"Yeah, burrito! Haven't you ever heard of a burrito, Dashie?" Pinkie Pie said. Dash exhaled lightly, shrugging back in response. "Didn't know you were such a shut-in...but mourn for me! I miss my snack!"

"U-umm...yeah. Anyway, she could've knocked! Or, I don't know, sent a letter? Jeez, why'd she have to poke a hole in my house?" Dash said. Twilight looked somewhat worried. She wondered if Luna had actually told her friends the situation. They certainly had gathered quickly.

"Doesn't anypony care about the missing sky?" Twilight asked. Everypony stared at her.

"I care about my burrito!" Pinkie whined. Her eyes were watering. "I suffered and slogged through that cave, and I _still _haven't gotten to sit down for a treat yet! Why meeeee?"

"Ah' think that's a...yes?" Applejack said, patting Pinkie on the shoulder. The pony lurched away from Applejack and collapsed into a miserable heap, sobbing. "...Truth be told, though, I can't see why the princess ain't helpin' us out with this! You'd think she'd be worried too!" Twilight choked awkwardly at this, her voice gradually melting into nervous giggles.

"Sh-she is! It's just, umm...I _may_ have specifically told her not to help...?" Twilight said. Everypony gasped in shock and anger. "Hey! She's the princess! What if-"

"Look, after facing that magic-crazy freak," Rainbow Dash said, flapping furiously. "I'd be glad to get any extra firepower! What were you thinking, Twi?"

"I know it probably would've been smart to bring her along," Twilight said, desperately trying to calm her friends. "But think about it! The night sky's gone! Equestria's probably in mass panic! Everypony needs Luna to tell them there's nothing to worry about. She can't just leave everypony hanging, right?" Dash sighed as Rarity stepped forward, astounded at the glimmering treetops.

"I suppose you have a point," Rarity said, admiring the magnificent, if somewhat eldritch, glow of the trees. "And at the very least, we know where the culprit is this time."

"Speaking of where ponies are," Pinkie said, hopping and skipping. Her mood had apparently passed. "Where's Fluttershy? D'ya think-" Pinkie Pie was cut off by an audible glint across the gloomy horizon. A blue comet shot across the night air, careening into Fluttershy's cottage. A loud symphony of assorted animal noises blared alongside Fluttershy's own frightened scream.

"Dearest Fluttershy! Do not be alarmed! I am merely here to-" Everypony listened hard to Luna's words, but they could only catch small pieces amidst the racket. "...I am...fear not...has been stolen...this will...friends, waiting! Animals will be...I should...allow me...go, now!" Fluttershy popped out of a window, sailing across the air and landing in the middle of her gathered friends. Her flank bobbed up and down.

"Princess Luna...told me to go find you guys," Fluttershy said. Her voice wavered as she clumsily arose. "She said the sky had been stolen, and that she'd take care of my animals for me. Then she kicked me out..." Fluttershy looked to the ponies around her. They were gesturing towards the sky. Fluttershy looked up to spy the altered trees of the Everfree, as well as the empty void towering overhead. "What...? What's happened? It's really g-gone?"

"Up an' vanished without a trace," Applejack said, stamping a hoof into the wet grass. "Guess we've got another mess to sort out." A crashing sound suddenly echoed across the grassy expanse. Everypony turned to see Fluttershy's house shaking with primal force. Luna's livid and amplified voice pierced traveled quite far.

"Infidels! Do as I command and resume your slumber! I've subjects to tend to!" Luna roared. "Equestria is in turmoil, and you would think of naught but yourselves? Off to bed with you! Off I say! You dare to defy me, the princess of the night?"

"Let's get outta here," Dash murmured, entering the forest. Everypony except Fluttershy followed without question, prompting Rarity to drag the hesitant pegasus by her wings. She wiggled in protest, but was unable to break Rarity's hold.

"B-but I...! I don't think the princess knows how to handle...! O-ohh...this is bad..."

The confines of the forest proved brighter than a sunny summer day. The pale light spilling over the grass was so prominent that everypony had to squint. Animals both big and small, fierce and timid were sent cowering into their dens. Fluttershy looked around at various sad yellow eyes.

"...This is terrible...they don't know what to do!" Fluttershy said, reaching out for a bush. Rarity stopped her as she gently veered off the trail.

"Now, now. There will be plenty of time for comfort later, Fluttershy," Rarity said. Fluttershy looked back. "Once we've made this thief see the error of her ways, everything will be returned to normal!"

"R-really? I hope so..." Fluttershy said. Rarity sighed, tossing her recently groomed mane.

"So do I!" Rarity scoffed, proceeding forward into more obnoxious light. Fluttershy tilted her head.

"But you just said-"

"Come to think of it, how d'ya think this thief stole the entire sky?" Applejack said, sneaking peeks around the corners of trees, checking for anypony suspicious. She wasn't the only one. Everypony in the group was on red alert for sneaky behavior.

"Dunno, but after what we saw in that cave, I'll believe anything!" Dash said, flipping over a little pebble. She did it out of frustration more than anything. "And I had work to do today! I wasn't even able to sneak a nap in! Jeez...I'm so tired..." The pegasus flopped over onto her back, pounding her back legs into the wet grass.

"Hey, look up ahead!" Twilight said, trotting forward. She spied a tiny wisp of pearly light before her. It looked round, although jagged edges periodically sprung out of it as it hung just above the grass. Twilight screeched to a halt as she realized nopony was following her. She groaned, shuffling away from the sphere. "Don't tell me. Oh, don't you tell me. _I'm _the only one who can see it, right? Okay, bring on the headaches and the voices! I am _so_ ready!" Fluttershy backed away from the vexed Twilight, but Applejack just approached her without worry.

"Nope. Yer not the only one. Everypony can see it, ah' think. Least ah' can," Applejack said, pointing to the tiny orb. Everypony nodded, more of less. "That ball there, right?" Twilight gave a massive exhale.

"Ah good! I was getting worried there for a second or-"

"Ah-ha-haaah! Look who's back! The same rascals from before!" a vaguely familiar, rude voice called out. A dark yellow, almost gold colored unicorn mare jumped out of the branches of a nearby tree. Or rather, _she_ would've called it a jump. An artful leap, perhaps. It was more of a fall. She landed flat on her face, but quickly recovered, panting. She had bandages wrapped over one of her narrowed eyes, and her overall appearance was unkempt. "You're here to stop me from saving everypony again, right?"

"Heeeey! I know her! She's that pony with the silly name from before!" Pinkie shouted, hopping on one leg. Everypony faced her while the yellow unicorn puffed out her chest. "Yeah, she's the one we met first! I think she's named...Poot?"

"Moot! I-it's Moot! Get it right, dummy!" Moot cried, embarrassed and sweating all of sudden.

"Ah...I remember now," Rarity said dully. She shot Moot a jaded look reserved for high-class nuisances only. "That roadblock who sealed our magic. Pleasure to see you again. Guess you didn't get eaten. What a shame...I mean, if you had been, of course. Eh heh..."

"Wouldn't it have been, though?" Fluttershy said, sounding relieved. She walked ahead of the group and smiled at Moot. "I'm glad you made it out okay. But, why are you still here? This is no place for a pony to be after-"

"Hey, don't you talk down to me!" Moot snapped. Fluttershy backed away as Applejack stepped out in front of her. The earth pony looked steamed as she spat on the ground and snorted at Moot. The unicorn jumped back as though she had stepped on red-hot coals. "A-anyway, _you're_ all here right now! What? That brown pony get the best of you? Had to run away, huh?" Moot swelled proudly, trying her best to look important as she addressed the group. "But don't you worry! I'm here to stop whoever's behind this nonsense! Now that my boss has trained me, I'll be able to save-"  
>"The unicorns? Tough luck. We already did," Dash interrupted. Her wing beats provided the only noise in the forest as Moot stood like a statue. She had swung her leg out in an effort to look more suave, but it dropped to the ground after Dash had spoken up.<p>

"...What? You what?" Moot yelled.. "You..._now_ what am I supposed to do?"

"...Go home and forget this ever happened?" Fluttershy suggested. Moot made a buzzer sound.

"Ha! As if! I'm not too happy with you all, swooping in and stealing my thunder!" Moot bellowed. Dash scoffed, crossing her legs in mid-air.

"Hmph. Can't steal what you never had," Dash said. Moot whined loudly, but Dash ignored her, purposefully glancing at the trees. "So, who's your boss? Some other freak? Or maybe the one who stole the sky?" Moot snickered, raising her head.

"That's for me to know! But you won't be able to find out, once I've knocked you silly!" Moot said, tilting her horn to the heavens. Twilight choked, reacting to this with her own raised horn, but her spell came too late. Moot crackled with magical electricity before spraying jagged yellow vines in a circular radius. Everypony ducked except for Dash, who flew upward and through a curtain of leaves.

"What...what's happenin'?" Applejack said through clenched teeth. She looked down to her legs, which were bound to the ground by yellow brambles. Moot's laughing echoed throughout the sounds of struggling, grounded ponies. "Can't...m-move...!"

"Our horns...what's...?" Rarity groaned through her own bindings. Rolling her eyes, she noticed her horn had been wrapped tightly in more magical brambles. "The same...same as before...? You little...!"

"Didn't you learn any new tricks?" Twilight said caustically, glaring at Moot from the moist forest floor. She wriggled feebly, unable to break the mare's hold. "Some training you got, if you're just gonna do the same thing as before!"

"Oh-ho! Silly pony!" Moot said, lapping up the group's distress. "I totally _did _do a new trick! See how you can't move? Before my boss came by, I could only seal unicorn magic. Now I can seal movement. For _everypony_ too! My boss is amazing!"

"Question is, does it work on wings?" Dash said, descending nimbly through the leafy, light-soaked branches. She grinned angrily, spying her helpless friends and the overjoyed Moot. The unicorn in question looked up and shrugged. She didn't seem too concerned by the fact that Dash was completely free and enraged.

"I don't _think_ so. See, boss only taught me how to do legs...uh-oh," Moot realized her situation as she eyed Dash a bit more closely. The pegasus sped at her, spinning around so quickly that she formed a rainbow colored whirlwind. The rapid gusts lifted Moot off the ground before tossing her into a nearby tree trunk. As the unicorn slid to the ground, several glowing objects plummeted from the tree, landing square on top of her head. They clunked like coconuts as they hit the unicorn's empty skull.

"It's official. You're just as sucky as ever," Dash said sardonically as she landed. Moot's magic left her horn, the yellow sheen fading from it and the bound ponies. They got up and made for the beaten Moot, surrounding her. Her neck was twisted gruesomely. She groped for her uncovered eye and squealed as she touched the giant puffy bruise forming below it.

"Great! Now I'm gonna need bandages over my _other_ eye! I'm gonna be blind for days, and it's all your fault!" Moot said, her voice comically high and squeaky. She got a glimpse at the ruffled ponies surrounding her and gurgled. "I...give?"

"That's right you do," Twilight said. She cocked her head observing Moot. She had begun to rub her badly contorted neck, and twitched every time she felt it. "Now why don't you do some talking. Is your 'boss' the one who stole the night sky?" Moot rose a hoof to answer before Pinkie Pie began blabbering.

"Ooh, ooh! She's gotta be a unicorn! Cuz' she talked about learning new magic and-"

"No...no! My boss is an earth pony," Moot explained. Pinkie crossed her legs and stuck out her lower lip.

"Well that's dumb. What's an earth pony know about magic, anyway?"

"A lot! She's really old and smart!" Moot said. It sounded as though she could've droned on and on for hours about whoever her boss was. "And yeah! She _is_ the one who stole the sky! By herself!"

"That's absurd! How does an earth pony steal an entire sky?" Rarity said, stamping a hoof. "Are you playing dumb?"

"Ah' really don't think this pony needs to play dumb," Applejack said. She paused as a thought raced through her mind. "Wait...yellow unicorn, thinks her boss is the bee's knees, dumb as rocks...where've ah' seen this before...?"

"Does it matter?" Twilight said, as Applejack shrugged, abandoning the random thought. The unicorn whipped her head back in Moot's direction. "Now where is she?"

"The stars...follow em'..." Moot said, flopping around. She looked as though she were either spasming or trying to get up. It could've easily been both. "She always leads a trail...or something, I dunno..." Twilight looked to the path ahead. Everypony stared at what appeared to be another hovering sphere of light in the distance. They began to walk forward, paying no mind to Moot. The unicorn growled as she bumbled away in defeat.

The friends had quickened their pace, trotting closer to the starlight. Pinkie Pie, not using her head, reached out to touch it, but quickly withdrew her hoof. It sizzled, having just poked something hotter than any normal flame.

"Aiiieee! Hey, if you're such a hotshot, how come you're not burning everything else up then?" Pinkie Pie spat at the star, hopping around out of pain rather than silliness. Fluttershy went to the frantically jumping pony, grabbing hold of her and blowing out her smoking hoof. Pinkie smiled. "Thanks! But seriously, what's the big idea?"

"We're dealing with an earth pony who can steal skies," Twilight said. "As much as I would _love_ for logic to come into play, I wouldn't get my hopes up."

"Hmm? Look, is that another?" Rarity said, indicating another glowing light further up the grassy pathway. Rarity ran for it, pursued closely by her friends. Her movements and voice made it seem as though she wanted to pluck the star and place it on a dress. "Beautiful, simply beautiful! Oh, what I would give to..." Rarity rambled as she marveled at the sight. Applejack and Pinkie Pie both grunted angrily in remembrance. Rarity shifted, smiling and recalling the same thing. "O-of course, they would look much nicer up where they belong!"

The ponies dashed further along the path, coming across star after floating lost star. Still, no mysterious earth pony or old foe reared their heads. Upon arriving at another stray star, Twilight looked to the path. No pool of light could be observed, anywhere. Everypony had made twists and turns along the winding path, and indeed it kept going. But there were no stars left. Twilight scratched at her mane.

"This is the last..." Twilight murmured, tapping a silent hoof into the cold mud. "So where's the thief?"

"Hey! Thief! Come on out!" Dash shouted. Her voice rang across the silent forest, disturbing several slumbering birds. They took to the air, squawking wildly. Dash continued raving and walking around in spite of Fluttershy's worried movements. "I know you're just waiting somewhere! We're gonna find you, so you might as well come on out!"

"Since you asked so nicely," a sleazy, deep female voice said. Fluttershy shrieked as she saw a milky white pony relaxed over her flank. She darted away from the pony, clinging at her heaving chest. Applejack and Rarity both moved forward to break her fall as they stared, slack-jawed at the pony. She straightened up, revealing that she was at least one head taller than a normal pony. Her overgrown bangs flowed over her left eye, obscuring it from view. Her tail and the rest of her mane were pulled into sharp bundles that looked liable to impale somepony, and were held in place by blue beads. A similar string of beads hung from the pony's right ear, and two bracelets made of the same beads adorned her front legs. She waved her hoof, instructing somepony to say something.

"...Where'd you come from?" Twilight spoke up, anxious to know. The pony had just appeared. She hadn't stepped out of the shadows, or dropped from the sky, or made any dramatic entrance at all. The revealed thief rubbed her light green eyes.

"Jeez, that's all? Not, 'who are you' or 'how'd you steal the sky?' Just, 'where'd you come from'?" the pony adopted a stupid voice for that last bit. Twilight growled, bristling.

"I'll get to that later. First, you're going to tell us where you were hiding," Twilight said, shooting the pony a death glare. She seemed to be relishing Twilight's anger, a curvy smirk appearing on her face.

"I was here all along! Nopony noticed, is all," the pony said smoothly. Nopony had an answer for this. She gave a quick laugh. "Soon as you stepped into the Everfree, I was right there waiting! Guess you're just bad lookers. But hey, it's okay. I don't hold it against you or anything..."

"Stop being weird and tell us where you were hiding," Dash said, instinctively taking flight. She jabbed at the open air in front of her. "Before you begin an exciting career as my new punching bag!"

"Wasn't hiding! Just following!" the pony assured. Dash's eye twitched as she withered mid-flight. Everypony looked similarly exasperated. The thief clicked her tongue, astounded that nopony was believing her. "...Seriously. Nothing more to it."

"What were you doing..." Fluttershy said, rubbing her flank and wondering. "While you were following...?"

"Pshh! Nothing _you're _gonna remember!" Fluttershy whimpered, making the pony frown and kick at the grass. "Umm...I just followed. Nothing else really. Made a few faces and whatnot. You didn't even notice."

"But...but...but we didn't even see or hearyou!" Rarity sputtered. The pony's smirk returned, now even wider. "How'd you...?" The pony sighed and held out her hoof. In an instant the starlight dimmed, casting the forest into darkness. Everypony wailed as everything became drenched in darkness. The only visible thing was the thief's face and her hoof, which held a swirling mass of stars clusters, shadow, comets, galaxies, planets, and infinitely more.

"Go ahead and ask me my name. Anypony, ask me," the thief questioned ominously. Everypony was silent, but Twilight worked up the guts to approach the illuminated thief.

"What's your-"

"The name's Pilfer!" the pony shouted ecstatically, throwing her hoof up to the sky and sending the spiral of astronomical wonders sailing. The starlight and galaxies exploded, sprinkling the Everfree Forest with celestial light. The night sky soon became patterned across the trees and shrubs once more. Pilfer chuckled darkly as the ponies rubbed their eyes hard. "And don't you forget it. It used to be legendary, you know."

"H-how so?" Rarity struggled to say. She looked at Pilfer, barely able to make out her silhouette against the returned light. "Don't tell me you've committed acts of mischief like this before?"

"Never quite so big as this, but yeah!" Pilfer said proudly. Everypony was now staring at the thief, their eyesight fully restored. "I used to be the reason why ponies locked their doors at night. Not like it helped. You see, ever since I was a filly, I always wanted what others had. So I up and took something one day!"

"Hey, stealing's bad!" Pinkie Pie said. "Real, real bad! Especially bad when it's the sky!"

"Yeah, everypony _says _that, but for me it didn't feel bad. It felt good. _Really_ good," Pilfer's voice positively pulsed with elation as she sunk to the ground. "So you see, I kept stealing. And stealing. Eventually, my capers got bigger and bigger until, well, I got to be the pony that I am now. The greatest thief in all of Equestria, they used to call me. You see, I can steal anything. _Anything._"

"But wait! Y-you're just an earth pony!" Twilight said. "I don't care if you're the greatest thief in Equestria. You can't just...just..."

"Yeah, somethin's right fishy here," Applejack said, pawing the grassy ground. Pilfer scoffed. "Fancy smoke an' mirrors, maybe?"

"Did you not just see me holding the night sky in my hoof? I can do that because I _stole _it, not because of some silly parlor trick!" Pilfer pointed an accusatory hoof at Applejack, who flared her nostrils. "You shouldn't think earth ponies mundane! Given enough creativity and...ah-ha-ha..._insanity_, we can do whatever we want." Pilfer kept addressing Applejack, getting up and moving towards her. The thief didn't seem daunted by the irritated earth pony. "You there, I bet you're a down-to-earth type, yes?"

"Ah've been called that before," Applejack said flatly. Pilfer nodded, stepping away.

"You're only holding yourself back, you know," Pilfer scolded. "Funny isn't it? The further from earth we get, the more powerful we get. Shame we're called earth ponies, hmm? Very misleading." Pinkie nodded in agreement.

"Space ponies! But yeah, I guess you're right! Earth ponies_ are_ crazy like that, aren't we?" Pinkie said. She looked to Applejack, who had a rather abandoned look on her face, drawing her hat over her eyes. Pinkie bit her lip, now furiously shaking her head. "But...AJ wouldn't be AJ if she weren't all sensible and stuff! So in the end, you're still wrong! And you still need to give back the sky, before we have to clobber ya!" Everypony except Fluttershy got into battle positions.

"Oh, we're fighting? So that's how this is gonna happen?" Pilfer said, as though she had been deeply offended. She gave a raspy breath as Fluttershy raised a shaky hoof.

"We don't have to!" she said hopefully. "You could just...umm..._give_ the sky back. Because...because you're in a good mood tonight? Maybe...? Please? I-if that's okay..."

"Hmm. Weeeeell, I guess I could," Pilfer said, apparently contemplating this. Everypony looked shocked, causing Pilfer's smile to get progressively smarmier.

"R-really? Wow, that was easy," Dash said, turning upright. Her body slackened as her wing beats slowed in disbelief.

"But, that would be kinda dull if I just gave back the sky and you pranced home, happily ever after, don't you think?" Pilfer said. Fluttershy shook her head and smiled pleasantly.

"Oh no! Of course not. In fact, that would perfect," Fluttershy said. Pilfer groaned as the pegasus continued to muse in joy. "Like something out of a fairy tale or a happy little-"

"Okay, it's settled! You're working for it," Pilfer said quickly, cutting Fluttershy off. The pegasus squeaked, ambling behind her friends. "Let's see...what to do though...?"

"So we're fightin', through an' through?" Applejack said bitterly. She nipped at forest floor, upsetting some moisture and grass. "Knew it. Yer just like the others we've come across. Can't waste an opportunity to strut yer stuff, eh?" Pilfer raised an eyebrow.

"Fight? No, no way! That's so boring. I've got better ways to spend my time," Pilfer said. She kept her grin strong as she looked eagerly to the group before her. She appeared to be sizing them up, or watching to see if they would leap forward and attack. "Okay...I've got it! This is gonna be good, I just know it."

"What's-" Twilight began, but Pilfer cleared her throat loudly.

"Three kicks. That's what I need from you. Kick me three times, and I'll give back the night sky," Pilfer paced as the ponies watched, stupefied. "Let's see, what time is it now...?" Pilfer held out her hoof and a gray stopwatch leapt into it from nowhere. She eyed it and frowned. "No, four to nine's not so good. Let's make it nice and even, shall we?" In an instant, time seemed to speed up. The ponies were frozen as seconds and minutes fleeted. Pilfer had raised the watch to reveal the hands turning rapidly. After what must've only been a few moments, Pilfer examined the watch and showed it to the ponies again. The clock now read nine o'clock, right on the dot. "There, that's better."

"What...what just happened?" Rarity said. In the few seconds that time had been whittled away, everypony had had difficulty breathing. They were all gasping for air now, and Dash had fallen, unable to maintain her flight.

"Just stole a few minutes. What? You thought I was just gonna wait for time to pass normally? Anyway!" Pilfer said, tossing the watch away. It vanished into thin air as the thief returning to pacing as though nothing had happened. "As you saw, it is now nine o'clock exactly. You have until six o'clock in the morning to kick me thrice, got it? But when dawn comes a-knocking, you lose, and you'll have to try again tomorrow night. Simple enough?"

"Until morning? Jeez, that's so long! You're gonna be pooped by then," Pinkie Pie said. "I mean, there's six of us and one of you! You're so silly for giving us so much time."

"Hmm, you're right! Didn't think about that. Okay then," Pilfer said, cogitating. Everypony glared at Pinkie Pie, who tapped her hooves together and whistled. "How about, for every five minutes that goes by, I'll steal an hour away? There, that evens things out! And you've still got more than enough time to kick me, I think! Sound fun? At the very least, sound challenging?"

"Not even a little..." Dash said, going airborne again. She motioned to Twilight. "Hold her down, Twi." The unicorn nodded and readied some magic. What should've been a levitation spell aimed directly at Pilfer sputtered and petered out. Pilfer sighed as everypony looked at Twilight, who prepared to cast again. This time even the spluttering of a failed spell didn't sound. Rather, nothing happened as Twilight raised her horn in vain.

"What? What's happened?" Twilight said, horror-struck as she reached for her horn. Indeed, something strange was wrong inside of her. It was as if a blank spot had appeared on her brain, and a great deal of weight had been lifted from her chest. Twilight felt as though she might float away like a wayward balloon. "M-maybe Moot's spell is still in effect, kinda. Or-"

"Are we missing something?" Pilfer choked. Her hoof was outstretched. Hovering just above it was a purple, nebulous blob. Twilight gaped as she saw the thief clutching every last ounce of her beloved magic. "Hey, remember that part when I said I could steal _anything_? Case in point."

"G-give it back right...!" Twilight began to say, but Pilfer flashed a toothy grin and vanished without a trace. Except, Pilfer hadn't vanished at all. She hadn't budged, actually. But spread out in front of her were six marble-like objects, which she batted around. She played around with the stolen abilities of ponies, namely, the ability to detect Pilfer's presence. The group looked around in confusion and fear.

"Where'd she go?" Dash said, falling to the ground and searching behind random objects. "Is she still here? Or...?"

"It doesn't matter," Twilight said, flicking her horn. It resounded, tingling with regained magical power. She sighed in relief, glad to have her magic back, but anxious at the missing Pilfer. "Everypony! We don't have much time if she's gonna steal an hour for every five minutes. Let's split up!"

"Good idea," Rarity said in total agreement. It was as if she hadn't even thought about her words. Still, everypony else seemed to concur with Twilight's decision. "We'll cover more ground that way." Pilfer erupted into laughter, rolling around in the grass and getting her pale fur wet.

"Fine, but let's just go! And keep a look out from behind!" Dash said, peering over a branch and dipping down, eying a shrub. She lowered her tone to a whisper. "Remember...she could be anywhere..." Fluttershy and Rarity gulped, but everypony nodded in urgency all the same.

One by one, the friends went their separate ways, branching away from each other. Pilfer looked to her side and grinned. A big gaseous sphere of some unknown substance lay beside her. It was concentrated essence of common sense, big enough to be divided among six fully grown mares.

"Ahh...too easy. Too, too easy," Pilfer said, springing up and snatching the common sense up in her mouth. She looked to the sides of the path, her smirk retained in spite of the squishy blob. "How lovely...let the game begin, then."


	12. Extra Chapter 2: Capers in the Everfree

Rainbow Dash was clinging to the open air like a security blanket. She knew something was watching, but she couldn't place what. It could've been an ordinary animal, or perhaps the thief. She steeled her nerves and began talking to herself, shivering.

"H-hey, what're you worried about? Snap out of it, Dash," she said, her tone hollow and as shaky as her body. Something felt odd within her, as though a gaping hole had been punched into her chest. She panted, her coat becoming glossy with sweat. "C'mon, c'mon! There's nothing to worry about. H-hey! If she shows her face...th-that's a good thing right? You'll just bop her good-"

"Hiya!" that sleazy voice called from below. Dash yelped and bolted up through the treetops. She shuffled and poked her eyes out from within cover. On the ground was a conspicuous white spot. Pilfer. "Oi, down here! You gonna try for a kick or what? Clock's ticking, you know." Dash sputtered, not emerging from the trees.

"Y-y-yeah! I-I know that!" Dash said. The tremors pulsing through her body shook the leaves overhead, and Pilfer snickered. Dash groaned.

"Come at me then!"

"I-I know! Sh-shut up! C'mon Dash...! Why're you so-"

"Scared? Don't blame you," Pilfer said, swatting her ear. "Everypony's scared of me, and for good reason too! You just never know what I'm gonna do next...it's hard to deal with somepony like that, isn't it?"

"D-don't care!" Dash bellowed, extending a hoof and shaking it at Pilfer. She blew her bangs out of her eyes, causing Dash to retract her hoof in a flash. The concealed pegasus blinked. "Dash, Dash! Get a hold of yourself! Why...why am I so jumpy...?"

"I know! Aren't you so supposed to be brave? Like, stupidly brave?" Pilfer said through more ill-contained snickers. She brought out her hoof, revealing a red ball of thorny gel. Intense heat dripped from it, warming the surroundings. "Yeah, you've got quite a lot of bravery, don't you? Or rather, didn't you?" Dash gasped in realization, inviting Pilfer to drone on joyfully. "Hmm...you _were_ stupidly brave. But without your bravery, I guess that leaves you alone with all your stupid." Rainbow Dash fumed, anger pouring through every vein in her body. It felt as though molten lava had replaced her blood.

"That's it..." Dash said, grinding her teeth hard. She leapt out from the trees, flying at top speed towards Pilfer, who's smirk didn't waver. The pegasus' rose colored eyes seemed to shine scarlet as she prepared to encircle the thief, just as she had done with her minion earlier. However, she found herself turning against her will. Her wings bent as she began spinning around uncontrollably. Dash tried with all her might to stabilize, but quickly found she couldn't. She felt about as limber a wooden board. "What? What's goin' on?"

"You're very talented. Can't have that, now can I?" Pilfer said. Her mouth held something. A glowing blue feather, the same color as Dash's coat. Pilfer spat it out and chuckled, gazing contently at the twirling pegasus. "Your ability to fly straight...it's a good thing I took it from you just now! You're quite the fast flier, you know."

"So now you're complimenting me?" Dash said, her voice breaking. Cold wind rushed into her mouth as she opened it, choking her. "Thanks! So flattered! AHH!" Pilfer walked nonchalantly around the spiraling pony, leaving the feather behind.

"Hmm, disappointing. Even when I've stolen it, you can fashion courage from your anger. But in the end that's about all you can do, isn't it?" Pilfer said, trotting deeper into the forest. Dash whined feebly as she saw the pony escape from her. "Suppose I'd better be on my way. Let your friends have their swing at me, yeah?" At these words, Dash found her orbit quickening. She was going so fast that sensations escaped her, although it was not Rainbow Dash that was speeding up. Rather, it was the Everfree Forest around her. The leaves blew in an amplified night breeze, and the stars patterned across the treetops flicked and shifted. In a matter of seconds, an entire hour passed.

As things returned to normal, Rainbow Dash felt her body grow incredibly fatigued. Unable to flap her wings any longer, she plummeted onto her back with a soft thud. The wet grass felt refreshing against her sweaty fur, but her eyes rattled in her sockets. She was nauseous beyond belief, dizzy to the point that she didn't notice the discarded feather, the essence of her flying skill, dissolve into blue smoke. Good thing she hadn't eaten in a while, although the prospect of standing remained out of the question.

"Ooohhh...! I-I'll get you...y-you no good thief..."

* * *

><p>Applejack looked around with skeptical eyes. It may have been a trick of the light or a simple misreading, but she could've sworn the leaves overhead had been swaying erratically. She ceased looking up above, though, upon remembering that she was on the lookout for somepony. She continued along the path, keeping a cautious pace.<p>

"Jeez, she's prob'ly right behind me, fer all ah' know," Applejack said. Anxious, she looked over her shoulder. Only the empty, hoof-trodden pathway greeted her. She sighed. "Guessin' I shouldn't expect a thief to fight fair. Fightin' dirty's, what it is..."

"Who's fighting? Nopony's fighting here!" Pilfer's voice called. A normal pony would've jumped in surprise, but Applejack had been expecting that voice to chime in sooner or later. Instead, she calmly moved her head from side to side, looking around.

Apples began to spew from random bushes. Applejack backed up as she saw a veritable tidal wave of apples erupt from tree holes, the crevasses in tree trunks, and from everywhere else. They flooded from every open space, gradually gathering into a pile. Astounded beyond words, Applejack gazed up to the titanic apple pile that stretched up to the treetops. Atop it sat Pilfer, munching on an apple.

"How...wh-what in tarnation?" Applejack almost screeched, backing away from the mountain of apples. Their crisp red skin glistened in the light cast from the trees. "Where'd you...?"

"Ah, come on. Don't recognize your own product?" Pilfer said playfully, taking a big bite out of her apple. Her eyes went wide as she coughed madly, spitting up several seeds. She blubbered, shaking her head and throwing the core away. "Aren't apples your special talent or something? But how is that even-"

"You swiped these from Sweet Apple Acres!" Applejack said, livid. She snorted, looking daggers at Pilfer, who tumbled halfway down the apple pile. "Give em' back, _now._"

"Wow, now we're starting to get somewhere! Look how far you've come!" Pilfer said, applauding sarcastically. "Why just a minute ago, you'd probably be asking me something silly like, 'how'd you know I own an apple farm?' Or, 'how'd you know where it is?' Good. Now you realize that I'm beyond logic! I'm so proud of your progress."

"The only thing that's gonna be progressin' is my hoof, progressin' through yer face, if'n you don't return what you stole, _right now,_" Applejack said, pawing the ground like a bull. Her hat fell over her eyes, casting a shadow over her scrunched up snout. Pilfer slid down the apple pile, almost reaching the grass. The two ponies stared at each other before Applejack stomped and shot towards Pilfer. As she turned around, lurching out with her left leg, she felt a sudden displacement of weight. Her front felt strangely heavy, while a sort of emptiness encapsulated her rear. It was at this point she noticed her left hind leg was gone. She stammered, falling to the ground and clutching at her stump.

"Ha! Ishn't dat funneh?" Pilfer said, her mouth occupied with Applejack's entire leg. "Guessh your not gonna be bucking around anymore, heh?" Pilfer spat out the leg onto the apple pile as Applejack stammered and whimpered weakly. "Pardon, that was uncalled for. You see, I spent all the time I was sealed up planning my revenge and what I was gonna steal when I got out. Needless to say, my jokes have suffered a bit."

"You...you stole my...my...?" Applejack said, her eyes quivering as she poked at the stump where her leg had been. There was no wound and no pain, but Applejack's voice was full of sorrowful confusion all the same. "How'd you...a-ah'...!"

"Oh great, you've regressed," Pilfer said with mocking disappointment. Applejack saw the thief hop off the apple pile. "Remember! I can steal _anything. _The sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be able to think clearly." Pilfer guffawed as she happily traipsed away from her victim. "Hey, maybe you'll even win this little challenge! You've still got _one _leg left. Maybe learn how to do hoofstands? Anyway, toodles m'dear." Applejack didn't pay Pilfer or the speeding time any heed as she dragged herself mindlessly towards the apple pile.

Although an immense pressure gathered near her chest as seconds became minutes, her emotions kept her focused on one thing. Her severed leg, cradled among the stolen fruit. Applejack stopped herself from approaching any further as time ground back down to its normal flow. The sight of her own leg removed from her body made her flesh clammy, her throat moist and sore, and her heart ache. She felt for her stump again, her pupils dilating in uncertainty and some untold flavor of despair.

"How...how'm ah' gonna...?"

* * *

><p>Pinkie Pie was hopping through the forest, as carefree as ever. Her pace faltered just the faintest bit, though, at what felt like an earthquake.<p>

"Ooh, shake'n bake'n," Pinkie Pie said. "Bacon. Bacon's good on donuts, I don't care what anypony says! Now, if only I had one...oh! Or anything, ya know? It doesn't have to have bacon. Long as it has lotsa empty calories, I'm golden! Whoo!" She hopped feverishly, upsetting her growling belly. She groaned as she kept skipping slightly less merrily than usual. "...Now what was I here for again? I bet it had something to do with sugar."

"Is that all you think about?" Pilfer's voice said. Pinkie kept skipping ahead, not intimidated in the slightest.

"Well no! Silly! I think about lots of other things!" Pinkie replied. She stopped dead, tilting her head curiously at the sky, or rather, the lack of sky. "Like parties and...weird voices! In my head! All the time! Wait, you're one of them? You're back? Ahh! Get outta here!" Pilfer had yet to reveal herself, but she was reluctant to do so now that Pinkie was acting up. The once-hopping pony's big blue eyes trembled in fear.

"...Voices in your head? You're serious?"

"Yeah, yeah! They've got names and stuff! I think," Pinkie said. She stopped panicking and tapped a hoof to her chin. "Orrrr...did I go and name em'? Anyway, you should know this! You're one of em'!"

"I'm not. You know who I am!" Pilfer said. She had stepped out onto the path and was looking lazily at Pinkie Pie. She rolled her eyes, keeping Pinkie's stolen ability to detect her presence close to her side. "You met me earlier! Don't you remember?"

"Eh, you were probably too boring!" Pinkie Pie said, waving a hoof. Pilfer grunted, none too pleased with being set aside.

"Listen, it's Pilfer! Legendary thief? You know, the one who stole the-"

"Ahh! How'd you get in my head?" Pinkie wailed, dancing up and down on the tips of her hooves. "Get out, get out, get out!"

"I'm not in your head, you moron! Don't you even care about the sk-"

"Heeey! If you kept the sky, d'ya think the princess would have to replace it with something...else?" Pinkie said, licking her lips. She was off in her own little fantasy world. Indeed, to her sugar-deprived brain, the Everfree Forest began to lose its shape. The trees became licorice, and the grass flattened and turned to caramel. Pinkie slobbered in joy as she looked up. The sky had been painted over by a creamy sheet of pure nougat. Pinkie cheered after a moment of pure awe. "Oh yeah! Oh yeah, baby! She totally heard me! Nougat sky, yay! But wait...how'm I gonna get up there? If only I was a pegasus! ...Maybe Dashie'd fly me up there? Yeah, I could share with her!" Pilfer couldn't even manage an amused smirk at this display. Pinkie was waltzing around, humming to herself. She grabbed hold of a tree, poised to munch on it.

"Hey, hey! Have you lost it? Are you completely ballistic?" Pilfer chastised. Pinkie bit off a huge chunk of bark and looked in every direction. She chewed savagely and swallowed, rubbing her belly. She had never looked quite so satisfied. Pilfer murmured inaudibly, stepping away. "I-I mean, I'm crazy, but I'm more like charming crazy. You're just crazy craz-"

"Whoa there buster!" Pinkie said. Somehow, she was looking directly at Pilfer. But that was impossible. There was no way to see her. Her ability to do that was gone. Still, Pinkie's piercing blue eyes seemed to stare right through the thief's obfuscation. "That's _my_ line! What, you been reading the earlier chapters? Thought it'd be funny to go and quote me, huh? _Not_ when I'm here, little missy!" Pinkie was wreathed in an aura of anger and hunger. She drooled out the side of her mouth as her pristine, splinter covered teeth appeared to morph into fangs. A deep baritone rang out in her head.

"Kill her. _Kill her. __**Kill her. Killherkillherkillher.**_"

"Hunh?" Pinkie said, falling to her rump. Her pupils went tiny as her poofy hair began to quiver like gelatin.

"Eat her..." a lady's voice said seductively. "Lap her up...all of her..._everything..."_

"U-umm, that's," Pinkie said. Her pupils were getting even smaller. They were almost unnoticeable, disappearing into a sea of white.

"Huuuuuuug her!" a goofy clown's voice urged, followed by a cheerful honking noise. Pinkie twitched, a psychotic smirk wandering over her snout. The steady stream of drool had begun to turn into foam. Pilfer had bailed without a word.

"I-I'm not so sure about..." Pinkie said timidly. Or at least, that's what she thought she was saying. In actuality, she was laughing maniacally. The freakish, forced grin stretched over her snout was getting progressively wider. So wide that it threatened to rip the flesh on her face apart like a popped seam. Rancid foam dribbled down her chin. Pinkie Pie leaned back against the tree, propelled by the strength of her laughter, which was quickly turning into a low, gurgling growl. The candy world around her became jagged and tinted red. Mangled faces exploded from the caramel and the licorice trees writhed, melting, moaning and shrieking in tortured agony.

Just as Pinkie Pie's madness reached its pinnacle, the Everfree Forest regained clarity. The flow of time began to turn swiftly. The voices receded as the mutating licorice trees and caramel slop reverted to mere greenery. Pinkie felt something drop inside her as she sneezed loudly. Time slowed, prompting the frazzled pony to look about. She shrugged and resumed her hopping, progressing along the trail. Her head would tilt to the left, and then to the right as she became bubbly again. She did wonder why her mouth tasted mossy, though.

"Okay, okay! I remember now! Time to catch a thief! Go, go, go!"

* * *

><p>The crescent moon drifted elegantly in the night patterned tree leaves. At least, Rarity thought so. Her natural artfulness saw the same beautiful moon, as opposed to a macabre defiance of how nature worked.<p>

"Oh, it's times like these I wish I were a painter," Rarity mused as she stopped to stare at the floating moon. "Or had a camera. Yes, they say that cameras take better quality pictures nowadays anyway. And anypony can use them, no talent required really...wait, what am I doing? Getting sidetracked? Well, it _is _beautiful out..." Rarity trotted back on track, reluctant to look away from the magnificent moonlight. She suddenly heard a frantic panting as she stopped her advance, perking up an ear and listening.

Out of the bushes to her right came Pilfer, smacking the unicorn square in the side. The two white ponies tumbled and tussled, eventually getting free of each other. Pilfer twirled her spiky ponytail around while Rarity casually fixed her own mane, staring at the shaken pony. Pilfer was breathing heavily, her eyes wide.

"You...you know your friend, the pink one, is insane, yes? Raving mad? Bonkers?" Pilfer said through her labored breathing. Rarity raised an eyebrow, opting to fix her hair some more.

"I suppose so, but didn't you tout yourself as insane too?" Rarity said, not paying much attention to Pilfer. She huffed as she tried her best to view her mane in her peripherals. "Ah, and speaking of something driving me insane, could you steal a mirror for me? I want to know just how much you've disheveled me."

"Get real," Pilfer said, calming down a bit and smiling wryly. "What do you think I am, a delivery girl?"

"I'm simply attempting to offer you a more honest way of living," Rarity said coyly. Pilfer clicked her tongue in response, straightening up and shaking out her shaggy, inky black bangs. "Doesn't it get boring or tiring, not having a sense of morals?"

"Who's saying I haven't got morality? Of course I do," Pilfer said. "My morality's preventing me from stealing your brain or lungs and leaving it at that. I may not play fair, but at least I'm not homicidal. Unlike..._somepony_ I know..." Rarity looked puzzled, gesturing to herself.

"You couldn't possibly be talking about me?"

"No! Sheesh, does everything always have to be about you? Anyways, I don't wanna talk about it," Pilfer said, shuddering. "I'm sure I'll be reliving it in my nightmares." Rarity shook her head, disinterested in talking about whatever it was Pilfer was mentioning. Pilfer glared at the grass below her in grim reflection. Noticing this, something clicked inside Rarity's head. She gave a silent gasp and raised her horn, taking advantage of Pilfer's momentary stillness. The earth pony was suddenly a lot more still than she would've liked, locked in Rarity's levitation spell. The unicorn nodded as she walked towards the trapped Pilfer. Her smirk had ebbed for just a fraction of a second.

"You really ought to pay more attention to your surroundings," Rarity said, enjoying Pilfer's helplessness. She hadn't taken notice of the fact that Pilfer was smirking and on the brink of laughter. The unicorn was far too caught up in her own triumph. "Now I may not look like much, but give me one little opportunity and I'll...!"

"Heh, heh. You'll what?" Pilfer giggled. Rarity's mouth had moved, but the last bit of her sentence had gone silent. She blinked as she repeated herself. No sound came out. She blinked twice, her eyes going wide. Pilfer, resisting Rarity's weakened magic, managed to jerk a dangling front leg up to her ear. "What was that? Can't hear you, darling."

Rarity's mouth opened wide, apparently trying to shout something. To her dismay, she had been rendered completely mute. Her magic had released as she started to panic, pacing sloppily and trying to scream. She thought she was saying something, raving at Pilfer, saying horrible things about her. But as her own voice failed to sound within her ears, she couldn't be certain of what she was trying to say at all. Pilfer turned away from the staggering unicorn. "That voice of yours really is your best weapon, 'cause your magic is pretty sub-par. Honestly, I'd probably lose it if I had to deal with some prissy seagull squawking in my ear all day!"

Rarity shook her hoof at Pilfer, catching her in another binding levitation field. Pilfer's face went blank as Rarity mouthed an insult or triumphant remark. Upon hearing nothing, Rarity's eye twitched and she screamed a voiceless scream, breaking her concentration and her spell. Pilfer slowly left the unicorn to her desperate, mute rampage. Rarity stomped some grass into pulp, sending mud all over her recently cleaned fur. She screamed some more at the stain, but as usual, no sound was produced. She sobbed as time sped up, making her head spin in a spectacular whirlwind of light and color. When the dizzying time crept back to its normal pace, Rarity toppled over. Nearly throwing a temple tantrum, she loosed a howl that sounded with the strength of several lions, reaching to every corner of the forest, filling it with raucous noise.

"My voice! Is! _Not! __**Annoying!**_"

* * *

><p>Fluttershy was almost frightened to tears by her surroundings. Time after time things had passed by so fast, making her breathing clunky as rusted metal. Without her friends by her side to comfort her, a hot, unpleasant filled her up. To make matters worse, a ferocious scream had just torn across the Everfree Forest, sending Fluttershy flying in reaction. She breathed morosely, looking around her and expecting something to jump out. At least the star filled trees seemed to greet her happily. She looked to them with sad eyes, hoping for some reassurance.<p>

"This was a bad idea...what were we thinking, splitting up...?" Fluttershy said, pouting. She touched back down, biting her lip. "Everypony...where'd you go...?" She heard the crazed scream again, but this time it was overjoyed. Although she jumped again, her ears rose up to soak in the noise. It sounded vaguely familiar, even though it was drenched with a melange of emotions.

"Wa-ha-haaa! Marvelous! Thank Celestia!"

"R-rarity?" Fluttershy murmured, descending again and trotting in the direction of what was unmistakably her friend's voice. Before she could get far, though, a greasy cackling echoed.

"Somehow, I knew you'd be the last one I went for," Pilfer said. Fluttershy looked up. Directly above her, nestled on a strong tree branch, was the thief. Pilfer waved idly at the pegasus, who leapt back, disturbed. "Yeah, but it's only because I don't really know what to do with you!"

"What to...do with me?" Fluttershy said. Pilfer nodded, before jumping down and barring Fluttershy's path. "I-I don't-"

"That's right you don't. You don't know just how troubling it is, for me to actually mess with you," Pilfer said. Her gaze was not fixed upon Fluttershy. Instead, she seemed to be looking blankly off into space. "Yes...it's a tricky matter. I know how to approach it, but..." Fluttershy shook her head, still wavering a safe distance away from the thief. She hadn't gathered up the courage to approach her. She was certain the pony would whip her head around and give her some sort of death glare if she moved.

"Approach...what? Me?" Fluttershy guessed. She kicked at the grass, swaying in place. "I don't see-"

"You don't. You don't see _them._ Yes, if I were to lay a hoof on you, they would be most displeased," Pilfer seemed to ramble. Fluttershy honestly didn't know what to say in response, so she remained still, waiting for the thief to continue. "You don't realize just how closely guarded you are, do you?" Pilfer said, slowly turning her head to Fluttershy and smiling mysteriously. "You are undoubtedly their most precious treasure, you see."

"T-treasure? No, I'm a pony. I don't get it," Fluttershy said, looking intently at Pilfer. Her eyes begged for an explanation.

"Ah, that's right. I suppose only earth ponies can have the powers that I do. The ability to know what's outside, yeah?" The thief explained, even though she was making nothing clear to Fluttershy. The pegasus shook her head.

"O-outside? The Everfree Forest is outside..." Fluttershy guessed in vain. Pilfer waved a hoof.

"Not that outside. Further than that," Pilfer said, disgusted and turning her sight back to the sides of the trail. Fluttershy huffed impatiently, her eyes shimmering. "Anyway, the solution is simple. If I want to make a jab at you, I'd have to steal all of them first..."

"Steal who?"

"But then...well, I certainly could. On all accounts I should be able to, but..." Pilfer said to herself. Her voice was bogged down with hesitation as her head creaked in Fluttershy's direction again. "You know, I don't really want them. You can keep them. It's so weird! Yeah, I've finally met a pony I can't bother! Lame..." Fluttershy dug little circles in the soft mud with her hooves, unable to look Pilfer in the face. At this point, she could've sworn the thief was just poking fun at her. Fluttershy perked up a little though. For some reason, the thief wasn't planning on hurting her. That little fact bolstered Fluttershy's very meager courage.

"U-umm, well then," she spoke up. "A lot of time has passed by, right? So I was just wondering, is it okay if I kick you a few times? Maybe just once? E-erm, that is, if nopony else has yet..." She tried her best to sound brave, perhaps even threatening. The resulting words would've been at home in a casual, pleasant conversation. Pilfer smiled warmly.

"No." Fluttershy looked crestfallen, hanging her head.

"Oh...b-but you could at least tell me about what you said earlier, I don't know who it is I'm keeping. You're not making very much-" Fluttershy said, looking back up. She stopped herself as she noticed that Pilfer had vanished, and once again time began to move at sickeningly fast speeds. Fluttershy tried to shield her head and shut her eyes, to cast the abnormal time flow from her sight and mind. However, her body was not controllable in the unnatural passage. Thankfully it went as quickly as it came, leaving Fluttershy a teetering mess. She regained her balance as she heard Pilfer's fading, but chastising voice.

"You're such a nuisance, you know." Fluttershy walked back along the path in anticipation. As she trotted, intent on locating where Rarity's voice had come from, Fluttershy mumbled to herself.

"Is it me that's the nuisance...?"

* * *

><p>Drawn to the sound of Rarity's screams, Twilight couldn't help but trample a number of baby shrubs in her haste. When she managed to finally home in on her, she saw Rarity sitting and breathing steadily. She appeared to be meditating. Twilight strolled over from behind a duo of stubby trees to her friend.<p>

"Rarity, why'd you-"

"That thief! She...she stole my voice!" Rarity said, leaping up from her relaxed position and glaring bug-eyed at Twilight. "Or rather...rather she _did._ Obviously it's returned, hasn't it?" Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but stopped, befuddled.

"Why'd...why'd she steal that? Your voice?"

"Perhaps you should ask her that yourself, my dear," Rarity said, glancing discreetly around. "The rapscallion's probably watching us as we speak."

"Howdy, Rare!" Pinkie Pie said, skipping happily from behind a bush. Rarity jumped away, expecting an ambush, but not from Pinkie Pie. "Say, how'd ya like my Applejack impression?"

"Terrible..." Rarity said flatly. She looked around some more before sighing weakly. "But, now that you've said her name, I'm certain she'll show up soon."

"Speak'a the devil, huh?" Applejack wobbled out from the meager shadows present in the illuminated Everfree. She looked very disoriented, as though she had just spun on a merry-go-round for ten minutes. Twilight noticed that she was putting very little pressure on one of her back legs. "Dunno how ah' managed ta' get here in one piece. Literally. Y'all wouldn't believe what happened."

"You know, at this point I'll believe anything!" a figure from up above said, very exasperated. It turned out to be Rainbow Dash, who sailed down to the grassy pathway. She shook out her fur, which was tangled with loose twigs. "That thief made a fool of me a while back! Oohh...I'm gonna make her pay big time!"

"You too?" Applejack said, lowering her hind leg gratefully on the slick grass. She sighed in relief. "Yeah, ah' had a right nasty run-in myself." Everypony glimpsed expectantly at each other, wordlessly asking what Pilfer had taken from them. Before anypony could tell their own horror stories in detail, Fluttershy was heard from further up the path.

"R-rarity! And is that...? Everypony else?" Fluttershy squealed, taking flight out of happiness. She rammed into the nearest pony she could find, hugging her tightly. It turned out to be Pinkie Pie, who shrugged, used to the treatment. "Thank goodness! I was so afraid you had all...?"

"And the gang's all here. Great, just great," Pilfer said, spawning without warning in the middle of the reunited friends. Everypony leapt back, with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash taking to the air. Pilfer smiled, trumpeting monotonously. "Ta-daaa." Twilight lifted her horn, not allowing Pilfer a moment's reaction to escape her levitation spell. However, she found her magic had left her again, that hideous empty point emblazoned on her mind. Pilfer waggled her hoof, the familiar purple blob floating above it. "What a one-trick pony. Can't you be a bit more creative with your magic?" Everypony dove for Pilfer, but the thief disappeared before anypony could get close. Although her presence had left, her chuckling had not. Twilight tried to fire a spell at the spot where Pilfer had been, but found that her magic was still fizzled. She spat.

"Danggit! Come out an' fight fair, ya dirty cheat!" Applejack shouted to the treetops. Pilfer kept chuckling in response.

"How exactly am I cheating? I don't recall mentioning any rules other than the win condition and the time limit!" Pilfer snickered as she berated the group, her voice aimed primarily at Applejack. The pony stood steadfast, wrinkling her snout in anger. She was the only pony not desperately looking around, trying to locate the undetectable Pilfer. Her voice came from no particular direction. It just was. "And how many times do I have to say this isn't a fight? It's more a challenge than anything, and one you're doing horribly at by the way. Not a single kick yet! What's up with that?"

"It'd be a heck of a lot easier if you'd _show yourself!_" Rainbow Dash said, turning furiously and kicking a nearby tree trunk out of frustration. A wayward chunk of star fell and landed on her head. The white-hot sphere of energy only stung for a second. "J-jeez...this isn't fair!"

"Heeey, relax all! You've still got time left," Pilfer said, thoroughly enjoying the group's discomfort. She gasped. "Well, _some _time anyway. Oh and good heavens, just _look_ at the time!" The time in question began its forced rotation forward once more. It was becoming more and more natural to the ponies, who had experienced it a good number of times before. Only Fluttershy cowered now, while the others just looked on and awaited the end. As things slowed back down to the natural pace, Pilfer whistled. "Yeah, I'd kick it into overtime if I were you. And, you want some friendly advice? _Don't_ split up again." The group of pony's fumed, eagerly awaiting Pilfer to shut up. However, she just kept talking. "Hmm...and I may be out of line here, but isn't friendship magic? So that makes magic friendship, yeah? Like, the purple unicorn's magic? She's missing her magic, so wouldn't that mean your friendship is also missing? Well, food for thought..." Pilfer's voice was venomous as it left, leaving the group in silence. Rainbow Dash groaned, dropping down to the ground.

"She's messin' with us! Oh Celestia, she's _messin' with us!_" The pegasus said, her voice cracking and squeaking. Applejack rolled her eyes.

"Aw fer goodness sake, would you quite whinin'?" Applejack said, her tone scalding. Dash whipped her head in the pony's direction so fast her neck cricked. Applejack scoffed. "Actin' like a pansy ain't gonna get us anywhere!"

"You callin' me a pansy?" Dash said, extending her wings and blushing angrily. She stomped over to Applejack, her teeth bared. "Don't suppose _you've_ got any bright ideas on how to stop her?"

"I really think you should avoid asking Applejack for plans, Rainbow Dash," Rarity said haughtily, flicking her tail. "Yes, she's certainly useful when one needs raw muscle, but when it comes to-"

"What're you sayin'?" Applejack said, not tearing her vicious glare away from Rainbow Dash. However, she practically spat these words at Rarity. The unicorn scoffed.

"Exactly what I just said. What? Has Pilfer made off with your hearing?" Rarity said. "We might as well face it. It isn't blind kicking that's going to get the sky back. It's brains, obviously. So Applejack, I believe that leaves you at a stark disadvantage. And...Rainbow Dash as well, I suppose." Rainbow Dash and Applejack gasped and gazed at Rarity caustically. Their eyes seemed to burn holes in her, but she merely backed away slowly. "You can't go and deny that it's true! Since when have you two _ever_ solved a problem without hitting it?"

"Come on, Rare! You really think we're gonna beat her by outsmarting her?" Pinkie said. Her voice wasn't playful, but condescending. "We've gotta be as random as she is! Be unpredictable! Bein' all structured, havin' a plan? Yeah, that's not gonna work, no sir!"

"_Don't_ you call me 'sir.' Who do you think you're talking to?" Rarity snapped. Pinkie waved her hooves and stuck out her tongue, as if daring Rarity to charge her. She simply scoffed again, turning away from everpony and staring at the line of bushes before her. "And yes, I suppose that _would _work just fine for you, wouldn't it? It isn't like rushing into things without a second thought has nearly gotten us killed before or something like that! Oh, most certainly not!" Pinkie Pie began to approached Rarity, her hooves hitting the ground hard. Twilight backed up, startled by the sudden tension.

"E-everypony, calm-"

"Um, hello? In case you forgot, _I _got us to everypony earlier!"

"Yes, after nearly getting us speared!"

"An' jus' what're you givin' us that look for?" Applejack said to Fluttershy. She had one eye open as she moved her head to one side, denying eye contact with anypony.

"...No reason," Fluttershy said. Her voice was quiet, as always, but it was also aloof, uncaring.

"It always is no reason, isn't it?" Dash said angrily. She glared at Fluttershy, who paid the group no heed. "Always just hangin' back, relying on everypony else! Why don't you toughen up a little? Show some spunk once in a while?" Fluttershy said nothing, making a vein bulge in Rainbow Dash's head, just above her eye. "S-say something! Jeez, that's another thing you could work on! Why not contribute to the conversation once in a while?" Twilight's jaw flapped open at her friends, who were getting increasingly temperamental. Everypony's mood seemed to scorch the cold night.

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight scolded. The pegasus ignored her. "You're-"

"You call this a conversation?" Fluttershy said bitterly. Dash attempted to get up in her face to stare her down, but Fluttershy kept angling her head to different sides, closing her open eye tight. "Hmph. I'll get involved when everypony stops acting like brutes. Especially you, Rainbow Dash. So boorish. You could learn a thing or two from me." Fluttershy's voice was strangely cold, strict, and rigid. Dash blew several waves of hot, stagnant breath at the other pegasus before resigning and stomping away, biting her lower lip. She caught Applejack snickering at her, and proceeded to lash out, spewing insult after insult at the earth pony. Twilight looked on as her friends bickered with one another. Curiously, they had yet to sling any baseless accusation at her. Still, waiting on the outer ring of the furious ponies made bile climb up through Twilight's throat. She gulped down grimy saliva and flinched as she watched.

"Everypony..." she said, helpless. The squabbling increased in volume. "Please, let's..." The noise was becoming incoherent, a mass of rage. "You're all being...!" Twilight felt her brow furrow. "S-stop...!" Her teeth clenched as the arguing crescendoed with no end in sight. Biting and hitting ensued. Screeching ensued. "Shut _up!_" Everypony did, miraculously.

Pinkie Pie had been on top of Rarity, gnawing at her mane. The unicorn had, in turn, been trying to stab Pinkie with her horn. Applejack and Rainbow Dash had been assuming battle positions, getting low and snorting rabidly. Fluttershy had been sitting lazily and apathetically, although grinning hideously at the savagery of the other ponies. Now, everypony was looking at Twilight. It took her a moment to feel their eyes fixated upon her, as well as the forceful crackling of purple and white magic issuing from her horn. She panted, feeling renewed energy surge through her being. It was likely the product of returned magic, or perhaps her own vented anger. Applejack fell back onto her haunches, rustling some grass with her front leg.

"Ah'm...ah'm sorry everypony," Applejack said. Her brash tone was a thing of the past. "Dunno what came over me."

"Same here," Rainbow Dash said, her wings drooping out of humility. She looked to Fluttershy. "Sorry Fluttershy, 'bout what I said. I don't really think that...and you too, Applejack. S-sorry..." Her eyes watered as she hung her head.

"You're right...you're right, Rainbow Dash," Twilight said, straightening up and stifling her magic. Dash looked up, perplexed. Twilight nodded firmly. "She's just messing with us, toying. It's all just a game to her..."

"This is absurd! How are we supposed to beat her?" Rarity said, hauling Pinkie Pie off her. The pony complied, spitting out her hair and giggling nervously. Rarity narrowed her eyes at the sheepish pony. "...Thanks. But kick her three times? When she keeps disappearing like that? How is that possible?"

"I...I don't know. I honestly don't know," Twilight said, wracking her brain for a solution. "I didn't think about that little detail when we took the challenge."

"Hey, we didn't go and take anything!" Pinkie Pie said. "She _made_ us do it! She's so smug...heh, bet she's laughing at us right now!" She stepped out into the middle of the path and hollered. "If you're out there, you dumb thief, how's about stealing me something chocolate coated? Or sugary? I don't care, just get me some kinda confection, _right_ _now!_ I don't care what, I don't care where, just...!" Pinkie Pie suddenly caught herself, giggling weirdly as she stumbled backward. "E-except Sugarcube Corner, a'course. That's off-limits...heh-heh..." Twilight blinked, latching onto what Pinkie Pie had said first. Gears were turning in her head.

"She's...smug...? ...O-of course...she _is _real smug isn't she...?" Twilight smiled and chuckled darkly as she rubbed her hooves together. A plan was quickly hatching inside her mind. Everypony looked at the plotting Twilight, who had sunk low.

"Twi? You okay?" Dash said. Twilight hadn't realized she was rolling around in the grass while maintaining a laugh that would make the maddest of mad scientists envious. She stopped, though, scrambling up and sending her friends in astonished reverse.

"H-hunh? Oh yeah, yeah! Just fine...now that I know how to beat her," Twilight said. Everypony gasped as the crafty unicorn gestured to her friends, directing them closer to her. They obeyed out of curiosity, huddling up in a tight circle. Twilight looked around, making sure that Pilfer was nowhere nearby. The ponies were bunched together so tightly that there was no room in the center. Pilfer couldn't possibly be hiding there now, Twilight deduced. "So, here's the plan..."


	13. Extra Chapter 3: Starlight's Lovely Glow

The friends broke their huddle. Twilight had some readiness about her, but everypony else looked ready to drop. They hung close together, again, with the exception of Twilight, who paced in front of the group. She was waiting. Waiting for something. Pilfer wondered what, exactly, as Twilight paced for precisely five minutes. An hour zoomed by, taken by Pilfer. After things returned to normal, Twilight kept doing absolutely nothing.

"Have I...has she been...?" Pilfer said to herself, pacing along with Twilight. She looked over the Twilight's shoulder, straight at her friends. They would've made lawn ornaments. "Jeez, she's not _that _easy to crack, is she?" Pilfer kicked the stolen clomp of pony abilities. "I mean, I haven't even really stolen anything from her yet." Pilfer sat and swayed a hoof in front of Twilight's face. "Hellooooo?" Pilfer grunted at Twilight's lack of a response, but then she looked to her side and grinned cheekily. She scornfully eyed the stolen abilities. "Oh yeah..."

Pilfer was growing bored. Looking at the stolen silver watch, she felt compelled to spit on the face. Five minutes had elapsed since she had last made an hour pass. Twilight continued to pace. Nopony had said a word. Pilfer tossed the watch over her shoulder, sending it back to whoever it belonged to. Waving her hoof, more time sped by. An entire hour's worth of lost time.

When things stopped, Pilfer expected worried, hopeless faces from everypony. They remained bland and still. A sliver of a smile crept over Twilight's snout as Pilfer bristled, whipping the blob of stolen abilities with her hoof. The abilities exploded, dispelling Pilfer's invisibility. She glared at Twilight, who turned to face her. They were uncomfortably close.

"What're you trying to-" Pilfer began before Twilight's hind leg shot out, landing against Pilfer's chest. She stumbled backward, watching Twilight grin gleefully.

"One."

"Oh-ho-ho! I suppose that's just fine," Pilfer crooned, half-angry and half-ecstatic. "Considering you've only got one hour left!" She snickered evilly, raising an eyebrow. "No wait...hehe...five minutes." The tree leaves were beginning to lighten, the stars dimming and making way for morning. Could the daytime sky be gone as well? Twilight shrugged as Pilfer backed away slowly, keeping a keen eye open. Nopony made even the slightest move in the background, although Pilfer caught Rainbow Dash and Applejack giggling moments ago.

"You know, I just don't think we can do it!" Twilight sighed. Pilfer stopped backing away at this. Twilight glanced over her shoulders. "You know? I mean, sure I got you once, but you're gonna be onto us now. Two more kicks in five minutes? Yeah, I-"

"I'm onto you now, yes. But not for the reason _you're_ thinking," Pilfer said cautiously. The thief swayed, her mouth flapping open. "You really should confess. What're you planning?"

"What _can_ we plan? It's not we could come up with something good," Twilight said with a grin, her voice smooth as silk. "Against somepony who can steal _anything._ What's the use? You could just steal the plan, right?" Pilfer had been getting ready to cut Twilight off, but she ended up doing that to herself. Something lumpy lodged itself into her throat.

"Erm...I-I guess I could, but-"

"But what? Your powers basically make you unbeatable," Twilight said almost seductively. One of Pilfer's eyes twitched, her long lashes producing a loud ping. "Yep. Somepony attacking you? Big deal! Just steal their ability to see you. Or better yet, just steal their attack!" Pilfer smiled awkwardly.

"Uh...uh-huh? Y-yeah! Jeez, I like the way you think!" Pilfer said, closing her eyes and smiling wide. Her tone made it sound like she wanted to approach Twilight and invite her for drinks. "If I would've known you were this cool, I would've just _given_ the sky back. ...Uhh! But I'm not gonna, til' you kick me-"

"And honestly? You're probably even beyond things like life and death!" Twilight said. Pilfer's wide smile suddenly drooped. Twilight rambled on, not caring. "Getting old? Steal your years or your age. Dying? Just steal your-"

"Hey, whoa, you're gettin' ahead of yourself," Pilfer scolded. Twilight looked at her curiously. Or at least, with a mask of curiosity. Pilfer fell for it and proceeded to speak like a schoolteacher to an overzealous student. "I said I can steal _anything_. Keyword there being 'steal.' How, exactly, can somepony steal something from themselves? Trying stuff like that is how you end up with spacial rifts." Twilight scuffed her hoof on a nearby pebble, crying out. Pilfer hadn't noticed Twilight had lapse from the lesson. Instead, Twilight chose to fiddle with random bits of grass. She barked, paying attention to Twilight and nothing else. "You! If you're gonna be all uppity, thinkin' you know just how my powers work, at least have the courtesy to _listen _when I spell things out for ya! Ungrateful lil'-"

"Oh! So your powers actually make _sense_ now. Of course," Twilight said sarcastically. Pilfer snorted. She glared at Twilight, unaware that somepony was conspicuously absent from the group behind Twilight.

"No, see, they've still got rules! Boundaries, ya know?" Pilfer said, gnashing her teeth. Twilight yawned, making Pilfer blush furiously. "...My powers may be born from being crazy, but that doesn't mean they're unlimited! I still gotta think."

"Hunh? You have to _think_ for powers that you got by being _crazy_?" Twilight said dramatically, covering her mouth and gasping.. Pilfer rolled her eyes at her opposition's mock realization. "Simply _fascinating_. Also completely ludicrous." Pilfer growled. She had been sitting, but arose at the stone-cold tone of Twilight's voice.

"Now you wait just a minute...!" Pilfer began before Twilight's eyes darted to just over her shoulder.

"Only one left now," Twilight said as Applejack's back hoof connected with Pilfer's cheek. The big, grinning white spot had looked very tantalizing for quite some time, but Applejack had convinced herself to wait off to the side. Pilfer's spit flew out the side of her mouth as she tumbled over onto her side. Applejack smiled, shaking out her back leg. The very same one that Pilfer had stolen before.

"Reckon yer wishin' you'd just left me like ah' was, eh?" Applejack said before strafing to the side and running at Pilfer for the final kick. But in a flash, Applejack found herself forcibly sitting down. Only she wasn't just sitting down. If it had been as simple as that, she would've been able to feel both her hind legs..

"Ah, thanks for the reminder," Pilfer said, tittering greedily and turning around. She inspected the rest of the forest to her sides. Nopony awaited her in either direction, so she turned back to Twilight. To Pilfer's surprise, Twilight had started playfully twiddled wet blades of grass between her hooves. The thief had expected some horror or anguished cries. She needed horror and anguished cries. "...Did you not just see what I did there?" Pilfer said, indicating Applejack, who was trying to drag herself over to Pilfer, reaching out with a front hoof. Pilfer chuckled ominously. "Now, now. Your front hooves don't count, dear." Applejack slid onto her belly, her eyes watering at the stubs formed below her flank. Pilfer looked over Twilight's shoulder to the line of ponies behind her. She gulped at their eerie lack of concern. "Seriously...charge me. Be angry. Be..._something!_"

"Sorry. I'm not really in an angry mood right now," Twilight said. Pilfer shook her head, but Twilight just kept smiling. "Besides, I think you've got enough anger for the both of us!"

"Heh, ya got that right!" Pilfer said, an idea cropping up. She pulled the silver watch out of thin air and hunched over it. Dash perked up, silently taking flight. "Would ya look at that? You're out of time..." Pilfer lied, turning her back to the group. Everypony gasped, with an especially panicked shriek coming from Rainbow Dash. She was so distraught that she didn't notice Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity dart into the bushes off to the sides. Without thinking, she took Pilfer's bait, lunging across the path and speeding towards her. Dash felt herself become inert, hanging powerless in the air. Her ability to fly forward had been swiped, laying in the form of a blue feather at Pilfer's hooves.

"N-no!" Dash choked back sobs as she struggled. She gradually fell, eventually touching the ground, but she could not go forward. "E-everypony! We've gotta...!" Dash looked back, noting the absence of her friends, save for Twilight. Dash giggled wearily hanging her head and turning back to Pilfer. "Yo, why hasn't time gone all speedy yet?" Pilfer rolled her eyes, looking around. The rustling bushes made the situation painfully obvious to her.

"Because I lied, you doofus!" Pilfer said, staring at Dash and making it seem as though she hadn't noticed the bushes moving. She snickered at Dash's stupefied face, holding up the watch and stroking her chin. "Although...yeah, you haven't got a lot of time left. Thirty seconds...twenty-nine." Unable to wait any longer, and honestly unsure as to whether or not that was another big lie, Pinkie Pie emerged from a towering bush on the right, with Fluttershy jumping out to the left. Rarity backed both her friends up by hurling levitation spells at Pilfer, although they did little good. The thief stole them as they came at her, depositing them on her growing pile of swag. It only got higher as she deftly made off with Pinkie Pie's ability to see, and a brief surge of bravery from Fluttershy.

"Ahh! Isn't it supposed to be _brighter_ when morning comes out?" Pinkie Pie squealed, trying to rub the darkness away. She began to bang her head against the grass, sobbing. Robbed of what little courage she had, Fluttershy retreated against a nearby tree, whimpering. Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie tripped over the slug-like, legless Applejack. Rarity just smiled awkwardly from within the brush, deterred by Pilfer's mischievous grin. Rarity hurriedly hid further back in the bushes, making a commotion.

"Eh...heh, I-I wasn't going to try anything...else," Rarity said, laughing nervously as she glanced to the stolen levitation spells at Pilfer's side. "R-really."

"If you did, I would've stolen it by now," Pilfer said, beaming at her mound of captured items. Not losing an ounce of pride, her gaze quickly turned to the beaten ponies around her. "Ya see? Even if you've got numbers, you can't tangle with-" Pilfer had turned, prepared to steal the last remaining hour, but not before taking in what had to be a deliciously terrified look on Twilight's face. She got a good look at her face, all right. A much closer look than she could've wished for. Pilfer gave a squeak befitting a frightened mouse as Twilight stormed at her. "Why didn't I do this earlier...?" Pilfer lamented, stealing Twilight's ability to detect her presence. Twilight shouted, praying that her outstretched leg would meet a solid body as opposed to empty air. She felt her hard kick collide with just that. Empty air. Nothing Her eyes grew wide with shock and, sinking to the ground, Twilight looked up miserably. The sky patterned trees seemed to grimace.

"It's over..." Twilight sniffed. She buried her head in the grass. Any moment now, the last hour would pass. Equestria would be without a sky for who knew how long. Twilight waited, shivering in hopeless anticipation.

"You're right, there," Pilfer's voice said. It was not, however, triumphant or cocky or happy. Rather, it was unmistakably pained. Twilight looked up. Slowly blinking back into view was Pilfer, thrown a great distance from where she had been last. She wheezed, wiping her brow. A bright red hoof mark pulsed at the center of her pale chest. "It's over...it's all over."

"Y-you mean...?" Twilight said, getting up and staring. She and the rest of her friends were slack-jawed. Save for Pinkie Pie, who had crawled off Applejack. In her blindness, she just panted like a dog, looking everywhere.

"Yeah. You got me," Pilfer said, grinning for some reason. She began to giggle softly, warmly, although it soon became a hearty laugh. It was quite unlike her usual, derisive snicker. "You got me...somehow, by Celestia, you got me!"

"Did somepony call?" Celestia said out of the blue. Or black, as the case was. The Everfree had become considerably darker, now that the stars had gone out. The darkness only accentuated Celestia's magnificent entrance in a storm of golden rays. As the princess doused the flames wreathing her, everypony except Pilfer bowed. Even Pinkie Pie and Applejack complied, despite their rather obvious difficulty. Celestia gave a weary sigh. "Must you...?"

"Must we what?" Pinkie Pie said innocently. She said this to a tree across from her, thinking it was Celestia. The princess blinked.

"Nothing," Celestia said. "But you really ought to stand, all of you," she added hastily. She hadn't taken notice of Applejack, who bitterly blew the hair out of her eyes. She struggled to obey Celestia, who did a double-take. "...That is, if you are able...?" Applejack finally did so, managing to prop herself up. Everypony else stood too, with Pinkie being the most wobbly.

"Princess, I am pleased to report that the criminal has been apprehended," Twilight said, looking up to Celestia and nodding firmly. She caught a glimpse Pilfer, who was staggering over to the princess and keeping her jovial look. "...Sort of."

"All righty, ya thief! That's three kicks ya racked up!" Applejack said, shaking a hoof at Pilfer, who passed her by without a backward glance. Applejack sat there in silence before dragging herself along. "Hey! Give back what you stole, right now!" Pilfer actually acknowledged the legless pony.

"...Oh! Yeah, that looks kinda annoying huh? Sure," Pilfer said. The pile of stolen things vanished, the possessions returning to their respective owners. Applejack sighed, wiggling her back legs and doing little squats. Pinkie Pie waved a hoof in front of her face before cheering. Looking up, though, she immediately stopped the celebrations.

"...Why's the sky still gone?" she said, pointing to the void up still churning above. Everypony followed Pinkie's eyes and saw what she meant. They all glared at her.

"Forgetting something?" Dash said, making good use of her regained ability to fly where she wanted. She zipped in front of Pilfer, nearly knocking her off her hooves. Dash jabbed her in the chest. "Return _everything_ you stole, buddy! Right now!" Pilfer looked absently at the tree leaves and walked past Dash, nodding. Dash just hung in the air, clutching her forehead. "...We _did_ win, ya know."

"Yes, you'd better honor your promise," Fluttershy said, approaching Pinkie and Rarity, who had bundled together. They seemed to be forming a wall of sorts.

"In a minute!" Pilfer said to Fluttershy, and chuckling at her and her friends' supposed attempts to bar her path. Fluttershy wilted. Pilfer continued towards the awaiting princess. "Just gimme a sec-"

"Hold up!" Twilight said, watching Pilfer like a hawk and leaping in front of the princess. Celestia stepped back a little, amused. "If you don't do what we say, this very instant, the princess'll seal you right back up again!" Twilight looked expectantly back at Celestia. Her eyes were wide and shimmering. "...R-right, princess Celestia?" The princess had been chewing her hoof, but stopped a few seconds after Twilight gazed at her. She stammered, not having readied a response.

"O-oh yes! B-but of course. Sealing and all that, eh-heh-heeeeh..." Twilight blinked at the very odd, drawling laugh issued by her princess. Celestia gestured, ordering Twilight aside. Her student instantly obeyed, allowing the princess to move forward, towards Pilfer. "Yes, thief. Miss Pilfer, if you do not return the stolen sky right this instant, I shall seal...I-I shall...s-seal..." Princess Celestia's voice quaked with laughter, as did Pilfer's. The two ponies looked at each other. "I-I-I...sh-shall...bwa-ha-hahaha!" Everypony looked on as Pilfer and Celestia began a chorus of fond laughter. Twilight heard a twig snap in the distance, although it may well have been the remnants of her patience.

"Whu...?" she blubbered.

"My dearest student, please do not be so alarmed!" Celestia said.

"Or...whatever it is you are," Pilfer added. Celestia chortled.

"Yes, yes. At any rate, Pilfer is not an enemy! You have my word," Celestia said. Everypony shivered at these words. Dash thrust out a hoof in Pilfer's direction.

"Your majesty! You're callin' the pony who stole the whole sky, your _sister's_ sky, a friend?" Dash exclaimed, her heart pounding. Celestia sighed, surveying everypony's disgruntled expressions.

"Ah. Well I suppose _friend_ may be stretching it, but-"

"Think of me more as...a companion," Pilfer said. She wasn't helping herself, earning vexed snorts from every direction.

"Pretty lousy companion, if that's how ya treat folks," Applejack said, rubbing her back legs and shuddering.

"So I like to mess around a little bit? Big deal!" Pilfer said, waving a hoof. "Notice that I never actually hurt any of you!" Rainbow Dash and Applejack growled in unison. "...Too much. At the very least, a lot less than some of the other ponies you've met recently."

"And even if she had attempted something malevolent, I was watching the entire time," Celestia added, nodding her head firmly. Twilight joined in an odd sort of comprehension.

"I see...!" Twilight's comprehension switched to pure confusion. "Wait, I see? What? You were watching us, princess?

"You make it sound as though this little escapade of Pilfer's was an exam of some sort," Rarity said dully. Pilfer waggled her hoof.

"You're quite intuitive! Yes, this was all ultimately a test of your abilities. The lot of you," Pilfer said to Rarity. Pinkie Pie shrieked.

"Whaaaaat? That's so _stupid_!" Pinkie screamed, peppering the muddy forest floor with swift stomps. She ground her teeth. "I went so long without anything yummy for a stupid test? I _hate _tests!"

"C-calm down, Pinkie Pie," Fluttershy said, patting the rioting pony on the shoulder. She huffed and crossed her front legs, pouting. Fluttershy nodded, content, as she looked at the princess. "But...would that mean this theft was...um, orchestrated?" Twilight heard another loud snap as she saw Celestia nodding solemnly.

"Yes. That is correct, young Fluttershy," Celestia explained. "Pilfer insisted that her first caper in such a long time be one of earth-shaking proportions, so..."

"She wanted somepony that would ensure a grueling mental trial for the Elements of Harmony, and...let's just say my services don't come cheap," Pilfer said happily. "'Course, my orders did end up being real simple. What were they, Celestia? 'Be as annoying as possible?'"

"Sure did _that_ plenty fine," Applejack groaned. Pilfer bowed theatrically.

"Much obliged, dear."

"But jeez! If this was all a test, that means..." Pinkie said, nearly in tears. "We did all this for nothing! It was totally, totally _pointless!_"

"What'd you expect, exactly? It's called the 'Extra Chapter' for a reason you know!" Pilfer said. She talked directly to Pinkie, fairly certain that she was the only one that would understand. It turned out she was right, as everypony else looked around in bewilderment.

"I-I guess...? Oh, so that's why it's called that!"

"You bet!" Pilfer said, happy that somepony got her meaning. "No twists or plot progression here! For all intents and purposes, you probably could've stopped at Chapter Nine."

"If I had known that, I would've!" Pinkie Pie groaned, smacking herself in the face. "Come to think of it, you _do _seem like the type of bossyou fight after beating the main game."

"But, we're not in a game," Pilfer said. Pinkie Pie shrugged. Rarity gurgled, looking to Pinkie, and then to Pilfer.

"Wh...what are you two _talking_ about?" Rarity bellowed, looking back to Pinkie. Celestia shook her head and looked down to Pilfer, who turned.

"Pilfer, I think you should stop," Celestia said sternly.

"Right, right."

"B-but I don't get it!" Twilight said, getting back on track after viciously shaking her head. Things seemed to spin around her as she tugged at Celestia's leg. "Why would you unseal somepony like that just to _test _us? Princess, doesn't that seem a bit irresponsible?"

"Eh, I wasn't let out to test you guys at first," Pilfer explained. "Apparently there was some nasty mare causing a problem. Celestia said you all could handle it, but if for some reason things got bad-"

"You were our backup," Twilight said with a big sigh. "Our backup against Majesty. Great! Just great. You did a _wonderful_ job helping us out!"

"I didn't really feel like it," Pilfer droned, flicking her drooping ears. Twilight glared. "Erm, I mean I had faith in you and junk." Twilight looked to Celestia, who nodded.

"An extra precaution, if you will," Celestia explained. Twilight had hoped that Pilfer was just making things up, but the princess' serene look and words told her otherwise. Hearing Celestia suddenly reminded Twilight of something.

"S-so, does Luna know about this scheme?"

"An' speakin' of scheme," Applejack piped up, walking towards Pilfer. Her back legs were still slightly rigid, but that only contributed to her irritation. "Yer still not holdin' up yer end of the bargain. Give back the sky, why dontcha?" Princess Celestia did not answer Twilight's question, instead looking at Pilfer with narrowed eyes. Pilfer giggled, finally daunted by the collection of stares she was getting. She raised her hoof. The blue string of beads wrapped around her leg tingled.

"Heh, heh. All right." With surprisingly little fanfare, the sky drained from the curtain of leaves overhead. The ponies had been expecting some ambient light show, but instead a sound like a flushing toilet resounded. The sky began to paint itself over the depressing, sooty void. Returned to its rightful place, the brightening morning sky rippled like water before transfiguring. With many thunderous pops it radiated bright white, although it was quick to darken to an inky blue. The stars twinkled spectacularly.

Pilfer produced her watch as the ponies adjusted to the normal, darkened Everfree Forest. "Yesss...yeah. Nine fifty-three. Almost on the dot too! Whew." Everypony looked to the thief for an explanation, but they were unable to see her very well. A glint of silver flashed through the air. The owner of that watch was likely very peeved by now. "Huh? What'd you think I was gonna do with all that time I stole, line my birdcage with it? Look at it this way! You'll get your beauty rest now."

"Thank goodness!" Rarity said. She loosed a heavy, pent-up breath, but she scowled at the titanic grin Pilfer flashed. "I said 'thank goodness,' not 'thank you!' I'd sooner-"

"Now, now. You'd best return home swiftly," Princess Celestia said with a wise smile. Nopony could argue with that advice. She took flight, her sparkling white fur glowing bright. "And Twilight? No, my sister did not know I was behind the incident. Please, do not tell her."

"O-of course not..." Twilight said with a victorious giggle. She looked back along the dark path and swallowed. The tussle with Pilfer had fatigued her considerably. Pilfer laughed.

"Yeah! Far as she knows, it was all the work of the revived legendary thief!" Pilfer said, swelling. Celestia gave a puckish smirk as she faded away in a beautiful halo of flame.

"Heh, heh...yes, my beloved sister is doing a fine job quelling the masses," Celestia's voice remained, and it was just as sly as that grin she left with. "...Informing them that a great dark magic has stolen the-"

"Wait, wait! 'Dark magic?' What horse apples! Y-you mean the work of Equestria's legendary thief, right?" Pilfer's tone had become anxious, her sweating frame standing out even among shadows.

"No, no! Just lots of bad, _bad _magic..." Pilfer galloped back along the grassy path, her hooves nearly igniting from her rage and speed. She screamed into the recently returned sky.

"Celestia! You crone! You told her to cover things up, didn't you...?"

* * *

><p>The trek home was quiet and uneventful. As the group of friends disbanded outside the Everfree Forest, Twilight couldn't help but gaze up at the lovely night sky. Knowing the horror it could be replaced by under the right circumstances, Twilight appreciated the gleaming starlight and luminous crescent moon all the more.<p>

The streets of Ponyville had been strangely uncrowded, allowing for a speedy return. Unfortunately, an old dread resurfaced when Twilight stepped into the library. Spike was pacing around on the bottom floor, hands folded behind his back. When her heard the door open, he bolted over to hug Twilight's leg.

"Wh-what's been goin' on?" he grumbled. His body was rattling uncontrollably, Twilight felt. "What time is it? Is it even-"

"O-oh! Don't worry about all that, Spike," Twilight said. "That pony who stole the night sky? It's her fault."

"H-how-"

"I dunno, really. Well, _kinda_, but it doesn't...eh, just look upstairs!" Twilight ushered her dragon friend up to the loft, where he peered out the window to view the renewed night. His eyes grew enormous, delighted, and astounded all at once. "See? We beat her. She's not gonna cause any more problems!"

"Well yeah but...! B-but..." Spike stuttered, latching back onto Twilight's leg. He babble for a while, but gave up trying to make sense of things when he spotted the patient look on her face. "This is the part where I just count my blessings, yeah?"

"Yep...no!" Twilight accidentally flung Spike from her leg as she rushed over to the tree by the window. The brown leaves had turned ashen, and were beginning to flake. "No, no, no! Princess Celestia's gonna...! Sh-she's gonna...! Oh, why didn't I ask her about this back-"

"Say no more!" Spike said. Twilight had been looking for the storybook, but found it was gone. Just like Spike to try and keep things organized, particularly after that bustling day of cleaning. "But you need to get it some love, stat!"

"What?"

"I dunno! Just make somethin' up while I go look!" With that, Spike ran to the lower floor. Twilight took a deep breath. The plant was exuding a scent not dissimilar to charcoal.

"Once...there was a happy pony. She was very happy. The end." The plant shuddered in revulsion, vomiting a foul smelling smog. Twilight choked as she called downstairs. "S-s-spike...? Wh-what's taking so-"

"Need to find a light! Just a sec!" Twilight held her breath, trying not inhale any of the smog. It eventually dispersed, allowing her to let her breath go. "By the way, if I were a kid and you told me that story for bedtime, I'd smack you upside the head."

"Noted!" Twilight was grouchy and out of ideas, hardly the mood for storytelling. Except she wasn't quite out of ideas. Something stood out in her mind. A very recent memory, though not necessarily a pleasant one. Making something up was simply out of the question. "...Once upon a time, there was a little town called Ponyville. Everypony was excited for the Winter Starlight Festival coming up, where princess Luna of Equestria makes an especially beautiful night sky for all to admire." Twilight went on. The plant seemed to perk up just a bit, although the leaves made no noticeable color change. "But something was wrong! Everypony in Ponyville usually lived happily together. However, for some strange reason, something was wrong with the unicorns in town!" The plant gained a bit more strength. By the time Spike came upstairs, Twilight had reached the portion where she and her friends entered the cave of forbidden magic. The tree seemed to be actively listening, its decrepit leaves turning in Twilight's direction. She smiled, taking the hefty storybook from Spike and flipping it open. "Ah, thanks! You're a life-saver, Spike!"

"Heh, let's hope you are too," Spike said as he shook his head at the tree. The changes had been so subtle that it still appeared to be on the brink of death. However, Twilight knew otherwise as Spike curled up on the bed and watched her. She ended up reading about three stories from the book. As each one concluded, the wilting, graying leaves adopted a more lime green tinge.

"Ha...can't believe it. Spike, look," Twilight said, satisfied with her work. Spike twitched in his sleep, making Twilight chuckle to herself. "...Spike?"

"Wha, hunh? U-uhh I'm awake, yeah..." Spike murmured. He shook his head, massaging his sleepy eyes. "Jeez...Twilight, I'm not a baby..." Spike moped off the bed, hitting the floor with a clatter. Snoring rang out from the place he had fallen, and Twilight sighed. She closed the book, setting it next to the recovering plant. As she climbed into bed, Twilight took one last look at the reclaimed sky. Maybe she'd finish her first story some other time.

* * *

><p>Rainbow Dash stretched, smacking her lips as she awoke. The overcast hanging outside her puffy, cloud veiled bedroom window told her she had a long day of work ahead. Repressing the urge to bury her head back beneath her pillow, she threw off the bedsheets. There was something odd at the foot of her bed, she noticed. Sure, her room was mostly white and light blue, a product of being chiseled from cloud, but that white spot was a bit too milky looking to be normal. Also, the black mop of spiky hair really stuck out.<p>

"Morning," Pilfer said. Rainbow Dash flew straight out of her nightgown, clutching her chest. She almost ended up punching a hole in her back wall.

"Gah! What're you...?" Dash squealed, clinging to the upper corner of her bedroom like a spider. Pilfer wiped the poofy bunch of covers away from her face. "G-go bother somepony else!"

"I was going to, but your house is the fanciest," Pilfer said, a little too chipper. Dash landed, frowning to the point that her jaw hurt. "Figured you'd have the most goodies."

"Bah! Get outta my house!" Dash roared, pointing to the window. She blinked, wondering something. "Wait a sec...how'd you even get up here?" Pilfer gave Dash a blank stare. Reflecting, Rainbow Dash giggled at the potentially unlimited number of obscure things Pilfer could've stolen to reach her.

"You know, thanks to the strings Celestia pulled, I'm back down to bein' nopony!" Pilfer mourned. "The only real reason I wanted Celestia to let me steal the sky was so I'd get some of my notoriety back! But it failed! Now I just want somewhere to escape to, really..." Dash rolled her eyes and flopped onto her bed.

"You can't stay here!"

"But why? I thought we were friends...?"

"Ha! Where'd you get that idea?"

"You called me 'buddy' once..."

"Aw jeez. You for real?" Dash said. She thrust a hoof at the window again. Pilfer looked somewhat hurt, biting her lip. "Get. Out." Her voice was as slow and frigid as a glacier. Pilfer hung her head, staring at the bed frame.

"Oookaaay...guess I can't convince you. I'll be going now..." Pilfer moaned like a whiny filly as she disappeared into thin air. Dash gasped, all too wary of what that sudden vanishing meant.

"No, no, no! You did _not_ just go!" Dash said, springing off her bed and looking around. "You just stole something from me so I can't see you! Come out! A-and get out!" Dash was met with silence. Befuddled, she checked under her bed. Nothing there. She threw open her closet doors. No Pilfer. She flew around her room, checking every empty space. She couldn't find Pilfer anywhere. She scratched her mane.

"Huh. Guess she did go," Dash muttered as she left for her bathroom. Of course, Pilfer hadn't gone. Nestled in the bunched up bedsheets was Rainbow Dash's stolen ability to detect her, but there was something else. Pilfer batted the crystallized essence of Dash's suspicion as though it were a cat toy. It was quite the large object.

"Far as you know I did!" Pilfer said, leaving the two stolen abilities behind and exiting Dash's bedroom into a hallway. She had broken into Dash's home late last night, and had spent a long while resting at the foot of her bed. Now Pilfer was ready to explore and plunder at her leisure. However, she was stopped by her grumbling stomach. She sneered. "Hmm...guess I'd better go raid the fridge!"

* * *

><p>In the span of a couple days, an embittered magician had been liberated. A cheeky thief had been released. A great magic had been forever locked, and the night sky had been lost, if only briefly. Yet things still managed to return to normal. Of course, there would be many more days and nights to be had. And with those, there would be many more stories to tell, many more battles to be fought, and many distant lands to explore. For now, though, peace and harmony was welcomed by all, especially by Twilight Sparkle and her loyal companions. And yes, even to those that once sought a changed world, and to the one that had stolen a sky.<p>

_The End_


End file.
